Under Surveillance

Journalist and writer Phil Harding investigates and evaluates Britain's rapidly increasing use of CCTV systems for tackling crime and asks if they are really being effective. Closed circuit television has become part of our every day lives; on high streets, on the bus and in most of our shops we are frequently being watched by CCTV cameras. But how likely are they to prevent crime and how useful are they as a detection method? Also, who is watching us and are their systems and methods working? What is the evidence that backs up our obsession with CCTV?