‘Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) plays a significant role
in deterring crime and anti-social behaviour’.
Give your opinion. You should write at least 350 words. Illustrate
your opinion with examples.
Crime prevention
has been somewhat a battle that most authorities face as they try to
come up with new measures to deter crime and anti-social behaviour among
citizens. One of the ways to prevent these problems is by using Closed Circuit
Television (CCTV) in places where there are crime risks such as shopping malls
and banks. The CCTV can be defined as the use of video cameras to transmit
signals or images to a specific place or set of monitors, which allows close
monitoring and surveillance. Nowadays, CCTVs are widely used to prevent crimes
and some are installed in public areas. I agree that it plays an important role
in preventing crime and anti-social behaviour. Since crime and anti-social
behaviours such as theft, rape, and other inconsiderate acts can cause damage
to our society, measures such as installing CCTVs in certain areas can be used
to deter such acts.
The act
of breaking the law or anti-social behaviour such a vandalism of government property
are done because the criminals believe that there is no one or no authorized personnel
watching their wrongdoings. They believe that they can escape from the law
because there is no evidence or witness to the crime. By installing CCTVs in
areas where the crime rate is high, for example, parking lots or car parks,
crimes like car theft can be reduced. In a survey done by Northeastern University,
it was analysed that the surveillance cameras have helped in crime reduction,
with a decline of 51% crime rates in parking lots. Recently, more people are
installing CCTVs in their private residence to stop break-ins. Criminals become
discouraged when they see these devices. This is because the cameras may record
the criminal’s actions and their faces. The cameras’ presence in the area can curb
the criminals from committing the crime for fear of being recorded on tape. Besides
that, the technology of surveillance cameras have improved throughout the years,
providing high quality and high definition videos and images that can capture
the details of people’s physical appearance with the exact time and place. This
may well instil hesitation and fear in the hearts of law-offenders, thus dampening
their urge to commit crimes.
The CCTVs
do not only discourage the acts of crime, but it serves as providing critical
evidence for certain crimes. For example, CCTVs were substantially useful in
the murder of James Bulger in England in the year of 1993. As James’ mother was
momentarily distracted in the shopping mall where they were shopping, the surveillance
cameras in the shopping mall recorded scenes of how 2-year-old James was
abducted by two 10-year-old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. They brought
him out from the shopping mall and to several places before finally murdering
him near a cemetery. The video footage documented by the CCTVs of the shopping
mall were attained and displayed in national television by the media. A woman
who knew Venables and that he had played truant with Thompson that day, saw the
video and recognized him. She immediately contacted the police and the two boys
were arrested. Clearly, if it had not been for the video, the boys would not
have been recognized, and they may have caused other murders or anti-social
behaviours which pose a definite threat to people, in this case, small
children. The CCTVs have helped to create hard evidence that is unchallenged.
CCTVs
have been a very modern measure in reducing crime rates, but some people argue
that it actually displaces crime, rather than deterring it. Easily-available
mini CCTVs have been known to be used for criminal activity. It can be install
at automatic teller machines (ATM) to steal people’s personal identification
number without them knowing it. Apart from the fact that it may violate people’s
privacy, the CCTVs’ videos are easily hacked and obtained. Some may use these
videos illegally for their own use, usually for artistic purposes. In addition,
some people think that the CCTVs cannot prevent crime, because crime prevention
can only be done through education or correction of behaviour. They think that
the surveillance cameras do nothing to inhibit crime, as in some occasions,
crime still occur even though the cameras are present. For instance, a bank can
still be robbed even with CCTVs operating for 24 hours. During robbery, the robbers
can very well conceal their faces from the recording cameras simply by wearing
a mask or cloth to avoid recognition. Their acts may be recorded, but their
faces have been hidden. As a result, the videos obtained might prove non-useful.
That is why some people believe that the CCTVs actually have no role in
preventing crime.
In conclusion,
crime prevention using CCTVs is not the only way to combat crime and
anti-social behaviour, but it is one of the practical ways that should be
implemented. There are some countries that install CCTVs in public areas for
the purpose of deterring crime and anti-social behaviour such as United
Kingdom. A survey by University of Cambridge stated that the installations of
the cameras have reduced crime and anti-social activity rates in public
locations with a drop of 7%. In highways in some countries, CCTVs are fixed to
poles or in trees to detect road-bullies and drivers who exceed the speed
limits. So, I strongly believe that the CCTVs are particularly useful in both
private housing and public places, as it can create the uncomfortable feeling
of being closely observed as offenders commit misconduct. This feeling can
generate a consciousness in them, making them reluctant to break the law. Looking
at the figures, these methods have positive effects in controlling crime. Therefore,
the CCTVs have a significant role in preventing crime and anti-social behaviour.
(948 words).
Status: Checked.
Band 4.
