Surveillance At An All-Time High

Whether you’re walking down the street or paying for your shopping, spy cameras across the UK are monitoring your every movement.

Nowhere is the boundary between personal privacy and public safety more blurred than CCTV surveillance. There’s little doubt that installing CCTV in the UK has helped police to solve crimes but opponents say that cameras simply don’t dissuade would-be criminals from committing offences. It’s a debate that will continue to rage on, even as the UK becomes more watched than ever.

Where Would You Find Surveillance?

It’s unclear exactly how many CCTV or networked video surveillance cameras there are across the UK, but estimates are that over 4 million cameras have been installed and that number is growing. Video surveillance equipment, is installed in a wide variety of places, including:

• Car Parks
• Supermarkets
• Shopping centres
• High streets
• Hospitals
• Schools
• Independent shops
• Sports grounds
• Private homes

These are just a few of the common places they can be found. Those who install it say that it’s for the protection of those using the facilities – employees and clients alike – but pro-privacy groups claim that there is simply too much surveillance and the number of CCTV cameras should be reduced but unfortunately for them this is only set to grow.

UK Businesses Take Advantage of Technology

As technology advances, spy cameras become smaller and more efficient, and images can be stored for longer. Digital recording and storage means that there’s unlikely to be any reason to wipe recordings after a certain period or, as many cameras have done in the past – not record at all.

The cheaper and easier it is to record and store images, the more likely it is that our privacy will be invaded. It’s estimated that the average Londoner is recorded over 300 times each day, which means that you could probably trace someone’s every move by using spy equipment such as video surveillance cameras.

Of course, you may want to take advantage of the benefits of installing this type of spy equipment. UK homeowners are increasingly turning to video surveillance for their homes. For wealthy homeowners, video surveillance lets them see who’s at the front gate and may help to lower their insurance premiums if they can show they are protected by cameras.

For others, particularly those who are victimised or whose homes are attacked on a regular basis, video surveillance gives them the opportunity to record a crime as it happens, giving the police a basis for possible arrest. Contact us to speak about the development of surveillance in the UK.

In the meantime, check out our spy cameras – view all section for an overview of our hidden cameras.