Big brother info is a little sister
Bedford CCTV blunder sparks debate
Campaigners who claimed that there were more CCTV cameras per person in Bedford than in London had egg on their faces after failing to specify which type of camera.
The Big Brother Watch Campaign claimed that 294 council-run CCTV cameras, equalling two for every 1,000 people, were up and running in Bedford Borough when in fact there are only 67.
When the group filed the Freedom of Information request with Borough Hall in October 2009 it asked the council to divulge the 'total number of cameras controlled by Bedford Council'.
But it had failed to say that researchers should not include figures for all the hand-held, digital and Polaroid cameras that the council controlled.
Dylan Sharpe, Big Brother Watch campaign director, said: "The figures are from a Freedom of Information request, it's exactly what the council told me."
When the request came back the protesters published the statistics as fact, claiming that Big Brother was truly watching Bedford.
Henry Vann, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Bedford and Kempston, said: "Oh dear, I think this highlights the importance of always getting the wording of a Freedom of Information request right.
"Otherwise you will not get the information that you want. I'm sure they'll be more careful in future.
"However, I am happy that the Borough Council uses some mobile CCTV cameras which are not a permanent intrusion into privacy"
The Big Brother Watch campaigners believe that having too many council-run CCTV cameras is an infringement of privacy and human liberty.
Alex Dean, director of Big Brother Watch, which is a campaign by the founders of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "Local councils across Britain are creating enormous networks of CCTV surveillance at great expense, but the evidence for the ability of CCTV to deter or solve crimes is sketchy at best."
The group claims that the number of council-controlled CCTV cameras across the country has trebled in the last decade.
But Bedfordshire Police believe that CCTV is essential if communities are to tackle crime.
A spokesman said: "CCTV is a valuable tool in the prevention and detection of crime.
"And in any debate about its use it is essential to be equipped with the full and accurate facts."
Will Hunt, portfolio holder for community safety at Borough Hall,
believes that CCTV cameras in Bedford Borough make people feel safer.
He said: " I don't think this is a Big Brother situation.
"People derive a lot of comfort from the CCTV cameras and they make people feel safer.
"Most of the cameras can't pry or look around and many are stationary watching car parks.
"We do have 67 cameras around the town centre which are mounted on columns, these are there to supervise behaviour and are not an infringement of people's privacy.
"We are actually in the process of funding one or two extra cameras in conjunction with Beds Police."
A Freedom of Information request can be made by anyone who wants to find out facts or figures which have been documented by a public authority.
The guidelines for making a request state that applicants should describe the information they are looking for as clearly as possible.
What do you think about CCTV cameras in Bedford town centre? Email editorial@timesandcitizen.co.uk
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Luton
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
