Crime prevention being led away by his killers, recorded on shopping centre CCTV in 1993; this
narrow-bandwidth television system had a low
frame rate A 2008 report by UK Police Chiefs concluded that only 3% of crimes were solved by CCTV. In London, a
Metropolitan Police report showed that in 2008 only one crime was solved per 1000 cameras. In some cases CCTV cameras have become a target of attacks themselves. A 2009 systematic review by researchers from
Northeastern University and the
University of Cambridge used
meta-analytic techniques to pool the average effect of CCTV on crime across 41 different studies. The studies included in the meta-analysis used
quasi-experimental evaluation designs that involved before-and-after measures of crime in experimental and control areas. Second, some have noted that, in many of the studies, there may be issues with
selection bias since the introduction of CCTV was potentially
endogenous to previous crime trends. In particular, the estimated effects may be biased if CCTV is introduced in response to crime trends. ,
Aaron Alexis, during his rampage In 2012, cities such as Manchester in the UK are using
DVR-based technology to improve accessibility for crime prevention. In 2013, City of Philadelphia Auditor found that the $15 million system was operational only 32% of the time. There is
anecdotal evidence that CCTV aids in detection and conviction of offenders; for example, UK police forces routinely seek CCTV recordings after crimes. Cameras have also been installed on
public transport in the hope of deterring crime. A 2017 review published in the
Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention compiles seven studies that use such research designs. The studies found that CCTV reduced crime by 24–28% in public streets and urban subway stations. It also found that CCTV could decrease unruly behaviour in football stadiums and theft in supermarkets/mass merchant stores. However, there was no evidence of CCTV having desirable effects in parking facilities or suburban subway stations. Furthermore, the review indicates that CCTV is more effective in preventing property crimes than in violent crimes. However, a 2019, 40-year-long
systematic review study reported that the most consistent effects of crime reduction of CCTV were in car parks. A more open question is whether most CCTV is cost-effective. While low-quality domestic kits are cheap, the professional installation and maintenance of high definition CCTV is expensive. Gill and Spriggs did a
cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of CCTV in crime prevention that showed little monetary saving with the installation of CCTV as most of the crimes prevented resulted in little monetary loss. Critics however noted that benefits of non-monetary value cannot be captured in a traditional cost effectiveness analysis and were omitted from their study. Russia has also implemented a video surveillance system called 'Safe City', which has the capability to recognize facial features and moving objects, sending the data automatically to government authorities. However, the widespread tracking of individuals through video surveillance has raised significant privacy issues.
Forensics Material collected by surveillance cameras has been used as a tool in post-event forensics to identify tactics and perpetrators of
terrorist attacks. Furthermore, there are various projects—such as
INDECT—that aim to detect suspicious behaviours of individuals and crowds. It has been argued that terrorists will not be deterred by cameras, that terror attacks are not really the subject of the current use of video surveillance and that terrorists might even see it as an extra channel for
propaganda and publication of their acts. In Germany, calls for extended video surveillance by the country's main political parties,
SPD,
CDU, and
CSU have been dismissed as "little more than a
placebo for a subjective feeling of security" by a member of the Left party. In Singapore, since 2012, thousands of CCTV cameras have helped deter
loan sharks, nab litterbugs, and stop illegal parking, according to government figures. In 2013,
Oaxaca, Mexico, hired deaf police officers to
lip read conversations to uncover criminal conspiracies. , as seen on CCTV during the
Westgate shopping mall attack that resulted in the deaths of 71 people. Authorities observed the attack via the cameras within the mall.
Body-worn cameras In recent years, the use of
body-worn video cameras has been introduced for a number of uses. For example, as a new form of surveillance in law enforcement, there are surveillance cameras that are worn by the police officer and are usually located on a police officer's chest or head. According to the
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), in the United States, in 2016, about 47% of the 15,328 general-purpose
law enforcement agencies had acquired body-worn cameras.
Traffic flow monitoring Many cities and
motorway networks have extensive traffic-monitoring systems. Many of these cameras however, are owned by private companies and transmit data to drivers'
GPS systems.
Highways England has a publicly owned CCTV network of over 3000 pan–tilt–zoom cameras covering the British motorway and trunk road network. These cameras are primarily used to monitor traffic conditions and are not used as
speed cameras. With the addition of fixed cameras for the
active traffic management system, the number of cameras on the Highways England's CCTV network is likely to increase significantly over the next few years. The
London congestion charge is enforced by cameras positioned at the boundaries of and inside the congestion charge zone, which automatically read the number plates of vehicles that enter the zone. If the driver does not pay the charge then a fine will be imposed. Similar systems are being developed as a means of locating cars reported stolen. Other surveillance cameras serve as
traffic enforcement cameras. In
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, CCTV cameras are used for monitoring (and thus
managing) the flow of crowds. In the Philippines,
barangay San Antonio used CCTV cameras and artificial intelligence software to detect the
formation of crowds during an
outbreak of a disease. Security personnel were sent whenever a crowd formed at a particular location in the city.
Use in homes and buildings In schools as it passed by a school. Several cameras in and outside of the building captured the event. In the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, CCTV is widely used in schools to prevent
bullying,
vandalism, monitoring visitors, and maintaining a record of evidence of a crime. There are some restrictions: cameras are not typically installed in areas where there is a "reasonable
expectation of privacy", such as bathrooms, gym locker areas, and private offices. Cameras are generally acceptable in parking lots, cafeterias, and supply rooms. Though some teachers object to the installation of cameras. A study of high school students in Israeli schools shows that students' views on CCTV used in school are based on how they think of their teachers, school, and authorities. It also stated that most students do not want CCTV installed inside a classroom. On a
driver-only operated train, CCTV cameras may allow the driver to confirm that people are clear of doors before closing them and starting the train. A trial by
RET in 2011 with
facial recognition cameras mounted on trams made sure that people who were banned from them did not sneak on anyway. CCTV has also been frequently operated in many department stores and shopping malls to mitigate concerns of potential theft. In some countries, malls must obtain approval from the
Ministry of Interior (MOI) or
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) before installing CCTVs. Some organizations also use CCTV to monitor the actions of workers in a workplace.Many sporting events in the United States use CCTV inside the venue, either to display on the stadium or arena's
scoreboard or in the concourse or restroom areas to allow people to view action outside the seating bowl. The cameras send the feed to a central control centre where a producer selects feeds to send to the television monitors that people can view. In a trial with CCTV cameras, football club fans no longer needed to identify themselves manually, but could pass freely after being authorized by the facial recognition system.
Criminal use Criminals may use surveillance cameras to monitor the public. For example, a
hidden camera at an
ATM can capture people's
PINs as they are entered without their knowledge. The devices are small enough not to be noticed, and are placed where they can monitor the keypad of the machine as people enter their PINs. Images may be transmitted wirelessly to the criminal. Even lawful surveillance cameras sometimes have their data received by people who have no legal right to receive it. == Prevalence ==