On Friday 23rd January, I received a letter through my door from the council. It seems that the "Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team" (I don't remember asking to be managed by anybody - do you?!?) have decided to foist a CCTV system upon Forest Fields, and we only have a short time to voice opposition before their deadline on February 2nd.
Typical re-deployable camera
I have no idea how many people have to complain before our new "Neighbourhood Management" overlords are forced to re-think their plans for community domination - that is, if they listen to us at all! But since time is short, I'm posting this up here in the hopes that a few more people will write and express their objections, and that we may at least be able to delay matters long enough to get a proper campaign of resistance against CCTV organised in Forest Fields, and get CCTV off our streets and out of our community for good.
The first problem is that I don't know where all the CCTV cameras will be. Apparently there will be seven masts installed, with a total of three redeployable cameras between them all.
I know that one mast is planned for the corner of Berridge Road and Burford Road, since I live in the area covered by this camera and was thus "lucky" enough to be asked for my views on it. Unfortunately, the map included with the letter only shows my most local proposed mast, so I have no idea where the rest will be.
But I have a strong suspicion that another will be somewhere on Ewart Road, since I think I saw the same "Fakeon" (aka. pretend cops) team posting things through doors there on Saturday.
If you are living near a proposed camera site, chances are you'll probably have heard about it by now. Please let us know where the other sites are planned for!
Even if you haven't been asked for your views, I doubt it would do any harm to express your objections as another concerned Forest Fields resident. The addresses to contact appear below. I believe actual pieces of paper tend to register a little bit better in these kind of matters, but email is a reasonable second best choice, and phoning the least best option since it can more easily be ignored or misrepresented.
Now, I'm sure you already know that numerous studies carried out by the police and government themselves have found that CCTV has little to no effect on crime in residential areas - at best moving it into adjacent areas and helping to solve a tiny percentage of total incidents. The police seem to want to improve this ratio by installing more CCTV cameras, literally everywhere, with better quality images. Because of course, it's always easier to excuse the investment in more hi-tech spying equipment (while sidestepping the real issues of poverty, tremendous imbalance of wealth, erosion of local facilities, non-accountability of those in authority etc.) with the justification of "if only we had better cameras and more of them, we'd be able to prevent more crimes". (Did I mention terrorism?)
Why not just admit that CCTV is already highly intrusive and oppressive, and does little in the way of protecting the public from... well, anything really!? Beats me - but then I'm not hell-bent on creating a total surveillance society or "managing" people!
But my personal loathing of CCTV cameras aside, my main objection here on Burford Road is that we simply don't need it! There is very little in the way of any discernible crime or so-called "anti-social behaviour" (ie. kids hanging out with their mates, let alone lurking muggers) around here, and therefore I see no justification whatsoever for installing a CCTV camera here.
This part of Burford Road is absolutely not a crime hotspot - so why does the council want to spy on what goes on here?
"In case an incident happens" is NOT a good enough reason to justify blanket surveillance of OUR community.
We are fortunate in Forest Fields (and especially on Burford Road, in my experience) to live in an area where people are still friendly and talk to each other on the street. A sense of community is a pretty valuable and rare thing these days, and once it's lost, it can't easily be replaced. Long may it continue around here!
CCTV will change our (and others) perception of where we live for the worse. I find it oppressive and intrusive, and despite having been mugged twice in my life, being watched doesn't make me feel any safer. If anything, CCTV makes me feel like I'm walking down a street where trouble is inevitable – where community doesn't exist.
If you're the sort of person who cares about property prices, you can also guarantee that the presence of CCTV on your street will knock a few grand off the price of the houses there, by making potential buyers think it's a dodgy area. (Whether that assumption then goes on to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, is perhaps something else that needs to be asked!)
So, on Saturday I printed of 100 copies of a friendly little note (which was much less ranty than this Indymedia posting) and posted it through 100 front doors in the vicinity of the proposed camera site near my house. I have since had several other households let me know that they will be writing to express their objections, so you never know, it may actually work!
Perhaps people near the other proposed camera sites might like to do the same, and maybe we can nip this entire nightmare in the bud right now?
However, I don't expect the council pen-pushers to back down without a fight, which is why I think it could perhaps be most productive at this point to focus on delaying things - by calling for more time for public consultation, if nothing else - so that we'll have a bit longer to get more people on board and organise against this anti-social attack on our community.
February 2nd is really not far away - and I'm sure that too, is a deliberate plan of our "Neighbourhood Management" overlords, since we couldn't possibly be allowed long enough to organise any sort of REAL public consultation, could we!?
But here's hoping we succeed, and that Forest Fields remains the fantastic little village we've come to know and love!
The address to contact:
Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team
The Mary Potter Centre
Gregory Boulevard
Hyson Green
Nottingham
NG7 5HY
Phone: 0115 8838469
Fax: 0115 8838471
Email:
myvoice.abrp@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Text of the letter that came through my door:
Date: 22nd January 2009
Dear Resident
Before we install CCTV, we need to consult with residents who will have a mast, and therefore possibly a camera, near their home.
Please would you read the attached information and complete the form and return it to us, or telephone or e mail us if you have any objections or concerns by Monday 2nd February 2009.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully
Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team
CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION
REDEPLOYABLE CCTV CAMERAS
Nottingham City Council has endorsed an approach which will see investment in re-deployable CCTV cameras across the City in order to help tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in the City’s neighbourhoods.
There will be 7 columns installed across the Berridge ward. However, there are 3 cameras for the whole police division, which will be redeployed according to priorities.
It is proposed to carry out the following works:-
• The installation of a CCTV column.
• The facility for a re—deployable colour Pan Tilt and Zoom Camera to be mounted on this column when required.
• The approximate position of the column is shown on the attached map.
The works will involve:-
• Digging of the road/pavements to install foundations for the camera columns.
• Digging of the road/pavements to install electrical cables.
• Provision of safety barriers where work is being carried out.
Who will decide when to install the re-deployable camera?
These CCTV units will be deployed on a rotational basis. The Police will prioritise the deployment of these CCTV units to assist in the prevention and detection of crime and anti- social behaviour.
It must be understood that whilst the column will be permanent the camera will be installed on a temporary basis to assist in combating anti-social behaviour and improving community safety.
What will the benefits be?
These cameras can be moved to where they are most needed. They will produce good quality images and will be used to provide evidence if an incident takes place.
Who will monitor the cameras?
The cameras will be monitored from the City’s Surveillance and Monitoring Control Room and if the operators are alerted to an incident of crime they will notify the Police to respond to the incident.
Who can I contact if I have any concerns whilst the works are underway?
John Broomfield
CCTV Manager
0115 9151885
Inspector Gurmit Kaur
Radford Rd Police Station Local Area Commander
0115 9670999 ext 4460
Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team
0115 8838469
The first problem is that I don't know where all the CCTV cameras will be. Apparently there will be seven masts installed, with a total of three redeployable cameras between them all.
I know that one mast is planned for the corner of Berridge Road and Burford Road, since I live in the area covered by this camera and was thus "lucky" enough to be asked for my views on it. Unfortunately, the map included with the letter only shows my most local proposed mast, so I have no idea where the rest will be.
But I have a strong suspicion that another will be somewhere on Ewart Road, since I think I saw the same "Fakeon" (aka. pretend cops) team posting things through doors there on Saturday.
If you are living near a proposed camera site, chances are you'll probably have heard about it by now. Please let us know where the other sites are planned for!
Even if you haven't been asked for your views, I doubt it would do any harm to express your objections as another concerned Forest Fields resident. The addresses to contact appear below. I believe actual pieces of paper tend to register a little bit better in these kind of matters, but email is a reasonable second best choice, and phoning the least best option since it can more easily be ignored or misrepresented.
Now, I'm sure you already know that numerous studies carried out by the police and government themselves have found that CCTV has little to no effect on crime in residential areas - at best moving it into adjacent areas and helping to solve a tiny percentage of total incidents. The police seem to want to improve this ratio by installing more CCTV cameras, literally everywhere, with better quality images. Because of course, it's always easier to excuse the investment in more hi-tech spying equipment (while sidestepping the real issues of poverty, tremendous imbalance of wealth, erosion of local facilities, non-accountability of those in authority etc.) with the justification of "if only we had better cameras and more of them, we'd be able to prevent more crimes". (Did I mention terrorism?)
Why not just admit that CCTV is already highly intrusive and oppressive, and does little in the way of protecting the public from... well, anything really!? Beats me - but then I'm not hell-bent on creating a total surveillance society or "managing" people!
But my personal loathing of CCTV cameras aside, my main objection here on Burford Road is that we simply don't need it! There is very little in the way of any discernible crime or so-called "anti-social behaviour" (ie. kids hanging out with their mates, let alone lurking muggers) around here, and therefore I see no justification whatsoever for installing a CCTV camera here.
This part of Burford Road is absolutely not a crime hotspot - so why does the council want to spy on what goes on here?
"In case an incident happens" is NOT a good enough reason to justify blanket surveillance of OUR community.
We are fortunate in Forest Fields (and especially on Burford Road, in my experience) to live in an area where people are still friendly and talk to each other on the street. A sense of community is a pretty valuable and rare thing these days, and once it's lost, it can't easily be replaced. Long may it continue around here!
CCTV will change our (and others) perception of where we live for the worse. I find it oppressive and intrusive, and despite having been mugged twice in my life, being watched doesn't make me feel any safer. If anything, CCTV makes me feel like I'm walking down a street where trouble is inevitable – where community doesn't exist.
If you're the sort of person who cares about property prices, you can also guarantee that the presence of CCTV on your street will knock a few grand off the price of the houses there, by making potential buyers think it's a dodgy area. (Whether that assumption then goes on to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, is perhaps something else that needs to be asked!)
So, on Saturday I printed of 100 copies of a friendly little note (which was much less ranty than this Indymedia posting) and posted it through 100 front doors in the vicinity of the proposed camera site near my house. I have since had several other households let me know that they will be writing to express their objections, so you never know, it may actually work!
Perhaps people near the other proposed camera sites might like to do the same, and maybe we can nip this entire nightmare in the bud right now?
However, I don't expect the council pen-pushers to back down without a fight, which is why I think it could perhaps be most productive at this point to focus on delaying things - by calling for more time for public consultation, if nothing else - so that we'll have a bit longer to get more people on board and organise against this anti-social attack on our community.
February 2nd is really not far away - and I'm sure that too, is a deliberate plan of our "Neighbourhood Management" overlords, since we couldn't possibly be allowed long enough to organise any sort of REAL public consultation, could we!?
But here's hoping we succeed, and that Forest Fields remains the fantastic little village we've come to know and love!
The address to contact:
Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team
The Mary Potter Centre
Gregory Boulevard
Hyson Green
Nottingham
NG7 5HY
Phone: 0115 8838469
Fax: 0115 8838471
Email:
myvoice.abrp@nottinghamcity.gov.uk Text of the letter that came through my door:
Date: 22nd January 2009
Dear Resident
Before we install CCTV, we need to consult with residents who will have a mast, and therefore possibly a camera, near their home.
Please would you read the attached information and complete the form and return it to us, or telephone or e mail us if you have any objections or concerns by Monday 2nd February 2009.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully
Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team
CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION
REDEPLOYABLE CCTV CAMERAS
Nottingham City Council has endorsed an approach which will see investment in re-deployable CCTV cameras across the City in order to help tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in the City’s neighbourhoods.
There will be 7 columns installed across the Berridge ward. However, there are 3 cameras for the whole police division, which will be redeployed according to priorities.
It is proposed to carry out the following works:-
• The installation of a CCTV column.
• The facility for a re—deployable colour Pan Tilt and Zoom Camera to be mounted on this column when required.
• The approximate position of the column is shown on the attached map.
The works will involve:-
• Digging of the road/pavements to install foundations for the camera columns.
• Digging of the road/pavements to install electrical cables.
• Provision of safety barriers where work is being carried out.
Who will decide when to install the re-deployable camera?
These CCTV units will be deployed on a rotational basis. The Police will prioritise the deployment of these CCTV units to assist in the prevention and detection of crime and anti- social behaviour.
It must be understood that whilst the column will be permanent the camera will be installed on a temporary basis to assist in combating anti-social behaviour and improving community safety.
What will the benefits be?
These cameras can be moved to where they are most needed. They will produce good quality images and will be used to provide evidence if an incident takes place.
Who will monitor the cameras?
The cameras will be monitored from the City’s Surveillance and Monitoring Control Room and if the operators are alerted to an incident of crime they will notify the Police to respond to the incident.
Who can I contact if I have any concerns whilst the works are underway?
John Broomfield
CCTV Manager
0115 9151885
Inspector Gurmit Kaur
Radford Rd Police Station Local Area Commander
0115 9670999 ext 4460
Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team
0115 8838469
Check out the oxford campaign against CCTV
26.01.2009 12:35
Det Chief Insp Mick Neville, the officer in charge of CCTV for the Metropolitan Police, had warned that the surveillance systems are often ineffective because they are badly maintained or sited, or their footage is not properly monitored and used.
Graeme Gerrard, the head of CCTV at the Association of Chief Police Officers, has said cameras often fail to act as a deterrent for drunken yobs in town centres.
Who does watch the watchers? The Information Commissioner? The office has years of backlog of cases to shuffle through. The reason many are against these technologies is the lack of authorities accountability. Do you trust their motives? Many of us don't.
Firm threatens action against CCTV whistleblower
Check out Oxfords' Cowley Road Campaign at:
No CCTV:
Cowley Road, Oxford Campaign latest at:
Recently, on the newswire:
No CCTV Meeting 27th Jan
Watching the watchers in Nottingham [feature]
Surveillance of Nottingham City Centre [Update] {links to lots more}
CCTV 'Treasure Hunt' around Nottingham
Tash
Forest fields is a safer area than most as it has good community
26.01.2009 17:42
Be much better to stop if the government stopped working with heroin traders from in Afghanistan & fund fun clubs-sport centres open late where teenagers can meet good people to get educated& stay warm.
Universal Confederalist
Just refer to the council's report...
27.01.2009 13:43
Anti CCTV
Letter written
27.01.2009 19:05
Does anyone have any hints as to points that might be worth covering in the letter?
Some of the issues I have covered are:
- The perception of the area
- Privacy
- Effectiveness in prevention and prosecution
- The lack of time available to object
I'm hoping I don't come across as what is no doubt referred to amongst CCTV advocates as paranoid or having something to hide, as it's so easy to do when you're discussing this issue with someone so determined to have their own way.
Since the letter I received is only regarding one particular camera/mast, combined with the lack of time to voice concerns, do you think that the 'Neighbourhood Management Team' are hoping to spread objection across several different proposals, in order to keep numbers down further?
Cheers all!
ff resident
Possible things to do ........
27.01.2009 20:47
No CCTV:
They do a preliminary page at: "The Case Against CCTV"
A previous example of a Freedom of Information Act enquiry to Bradford City Council. As you see, it is a bit unsatisfactory! But i think closer study, gives a notion of what might be more successful. give it a whirl and see.
CCTV Coverage and Information
Bradford City Council FOI
FOI request do of course, take 20 working days [minimum] [frequently longer as I found out :-( ]. Hence this gives an added argument to the inadequate time to consult / object / know about.
Tash
Letters sent
28.01.2009 21:42
Forest Fields residents may be alarmed to hear that our community is about to have a CCTV system thrust upon us.
Last week the "Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team" posted a consultation sheet through some of our doors asking for our views on whether CCTV should be installed near our houses.
The consultation relates only to the one specific camera that will be near your house, so unless you are one of the "lucky" people who will be living near a camera, this may be the first you've even heard about it.
We also only have until February 2nd to voice any objections or concerns - hardly long enough to gauge the views of a whole community, especially when the majority of people haven't even been asked!
I have no idea who the "Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team" were elected by, or how we hold them accountable for their decisions. But it seems that they are in rather a hurry to install this CCTV system, without particularly allowing time for anybody in the locality to raise objections to it.
Furthermore, by splitting the consultation seven ways (one for each camera mast, rather than for the whole scheme), I get the distinct feeling they wish to fragment and dilute any opposition to it as much as possible. Well, I wish to object to the entire scheme - not just the camera near my house!
There have been numerous studies which show that CCTV has little to no effect on crime in residential areas – at best moving it onto adjacent streets. But is there even much in the way of crime or anti-social behaviour happening to justify the need for CCTV around here? I don't believe so - certainly not on my street corner!
Last I checked, Forest Fields was one of the safer neighbourhoods this side of the city centre. I love living in a place where people are friendly and still talk to each other on the street. A sense of community is a pretty valuable and rare thing these days, and once it's lost, it can't easily be replaced. Long may it continue around here!
Unnecessary and unwanted CCTV may change our perception of where we live for the worse. I find it oppressive and intrusive, and despite having been mugged twice in my life, being watched doesn't make me feel any safer. If anything, CCTV makes me feel like I'm walking down a street where trouble is inevitable – where community doesn't exist.
That's not the Forest Fields that I know and love – and it would be a sad day if it ever were!
So, who asked for this CCTV system? Where were the public meetings to discuss it? Why is the consultation process so fragmented, and for such a minimal period of time?
Do the "Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team" intend to deal with objections in an accountable manner, or are those of us who don't want to live in a total surveillance society just to be "noted" and ignored?
Anyone wishing to voice their objections should email:
Burford Road Resident
Posters!
29.01.2009 12:12
Forest Fields CCTV Poster
A printable PDF file is attached if anyone wants to make any more out for anywhere else.
I've also set up an email address, so anyone else who is interested in organising opposition to this can get in touch:
Finally, a number of us are going to attend the "Local Action Group" meeting organised by the police and "Neighbourhood Management Team" (!?!), on Thursday 5th February at 6.30pm at Forest Fields Community Centre on Sturton Street.
The meeting is supposedly for local people and representatives of local groups to identify the priorities the police and city council should be working on in their area.
However, we intend to strongly identify the priority of keeping CCTV cameras out of OUR community, and bring into question the accountability of those who have appointed themselves to "manage" our neighbourhood, and make decisions like this.
Burford Road Resident
e-mail:
no_cctv@forestfields.org.uk
perceptions of their safety
29.01.2009 19:37
(
"residents queried the possibility of having small CCTV cameras at different locations in the area. It was clarified that 3 cameras were available for each Policing Division and these could be deployed at various locations as agreed by the Local Area Commander and Neighbourhood Management team. The Berridge Ward Councillors had agreed in principle to fund £20,000 towards CCTV posts for redeployable cameras. However, a new Council policy and procedure was being developed to ensure deployment was strategic, justified and consulted upon as appropriate. A further meeting was planned to clarify the situation for area 4. It was underlined that ‘dummy cameras’ were no longer used as these had potential to falsely raise people’s perceptions of their safety;"
I don't see how 'dummy' cameras give any worse a perception of safety than 'real' ones. Of those that I have heard of being the victims of street crime, I have not heard of any seeing any results from cameras, which are invariably looking the wrong way. Why would anyone commit a crime under the gaze of a camera, when they can walk a short distance to an area not covered, perhaps in the knowledge that resources that might detect or protect them are are being spent on pointless spyware. Pointless other than creating a feeling of insecurity, rather than one of community.
Another resident
Deadline apparently ISN'T 2nd February
02.02.2009 14:45
Several of us are still working on this and piecing together what's happening, and what we can do about it. But we've been reliably informed by Debbie Royle from the Area 4 Neighbourhood Management Team that the deadline is in fact, NOT today (2nd January).
I wonder how anybody was supposed to understand that from the letter posted through our doors, which stated:
"Please would you read the attached information and complete the form and return it to us, or telephone or e mail us if you have any objections or concerns by Monday 2nd February 2009."
No mention there of any other deadline - your guess is as good as mine!
Still, we'll be posting another piece later on today with some other pretty interesting stuff we've managed to find out, so watch this space.
Burford Road Resident
Forest Fields CCTV Update
03.02.2009 01:17
See:
Forest Fields Folks Against CCTV
e-mail:
no_cctv@forestfields.org.uk