Good idea ?

[brionon]

You want to limit immigration so do away with ID cards. You want to limit Street crime so do away with Street cameras. Good idea or Wot ?

[jackthehat]

How do ID cards limit immigration ?

[ummmm]

How would no street cameras limit street crime?

[4getmenot]

I think Brion is being sarchastic ummmm. Are they really going to do away with street cameras?

[ummmm]

Oh yeah....

[jno]

how much street crime is solved through the use of CCTVs?

[jackthehat]

They seem to be rolling back the big-brother-itis that afflicted the last lot.......

[squarebear]

I personally am all for street cameras. I feel a lot safer walking home from the pub at daft o'clock knowing that their is someone watching me wobble home.

[jno]

I think that's the idea, jack, but I'm not sure central government has much to do with street cameras.

[jackthehat]

Unfortunately, the only thing to be said 'in favour' of CCTV is that the no-mark who decides to bash me on the head stands a better chance of being convicted........which is all a bit 'after the fact'.

It really doesn't seem to be much of a 'pro-active' deterent.

[4getmenot]

but is helps in solving murders, searching for missing people etc

[jno]

does it? Seriously, have there been any studies of their effectiveness?

[anotheoldgit]

Retain street cameras 'if you are doing nowt wrong you have nothing to worry about'.

Make ID cards free and compulsory to all none British subjects, and to all persons who are convicted of serious crime,.irrespectively if they are British citizens or not.

These cards should contain as much information about the person as is possible.

[joko]

i agree...the cameras are no deterrent...largely because you dont really see them unless you look...
they do however help convict or prove innocence...so a good thing really...
they certainly dont do any harm

[brionon]

Mark as Best AnswerReport This(11:29 on Wed 26/May/10) Unfortunately, the only thing to be said 'in favour' of CCTV is that the no-mark who decides to bash me on the head stands a better chance of being convicted........which is all a bit 'after the fact'.
Unfortunate that crooks get arrested ? Have you arrested developement ?

[Zeuhl]

ID cards are fundamentally flawed in that:

- the counterfeiting technology available to criminals and terrorists will always keep pace with the encryption technology so the cards will only produce a false sense of security and could distract policing and detection
- the system only works if everyone is required by law to carry one
- the authorities have repeatedly shown themselves iincompetent in the collection, use and secure storage of our personal data

.

[R1Geezer]

Unusually I agree with zeuhl 100%

[youngmafbog]

ID cards are an infringment of civil liberties and wont stop anything as they will simply be forged. It is an expensive Noo labour PR exercise.

CCTV is another issue. Recently my misuss knocked someone over. The CCTV proved that the foreigner looked the wrong way and rand out from a bus striaght in front of her, she was exonerated. So on one side a good use. However, as far as crime isc oncerned it simply moves it out to the fringes where no cctv. OK you get your drunken scum scrapping on a Friday night, but is that really a big deal ? Your probably just criminalising people who normally are fairly law abiding citizens. We have to move away from this. The Old Bill love arresting people because they can store their fingerprints and DNA by stealth. Totally wrong.

[jake-the-peg]

Unusually I agree with Geezer

Even scarier I almost agree with AOG

Retain Cameras - where's the civil liberties issue? These are public spaces any one can take your photo

I won't go as far as saying if you've done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear
Nor would anybody who thought about it for more than 20 seconds

Damian Green certainly wouldn't!

[sp1814]

"Make ID cards free and compulsory to all none British subjects, and to all persons who are convicted of serious crime,.irrespectively if they are British citizens or not."

Terrible, terrible, terrible.

You're saying that foreign businessmen coming to the UK would have to carry a card that only they and rapists/murderers and paedophiles would carry.

How do you think that would go down?

City bankers, nurses and doctors thrown in the same pot as the lowest of our low.

Not good at all.

[Zeuhl]

And how would anyone know if they didn't carry it?

It's a nonsense idea.