In terror- and crime-ridden metropolises such as London, England and New York, security cameras record and scrutinize citizens’ every move. But is that necessary in Ottawa?
Ottawa uses cameras to monitor parks in Sandy Hill and Ottawa South and recently adopted an official surveillance policy. The idea of expanding the system has been bandied around City Hall and police have expressed support for a surveillance system in downtown Ottawa.
Such signaling has usually preceded the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance systems in the cores of cities such as London, Ont., Hamilton and Sudbury.
With cameras in the core perhaps lurking on the horizon, it seems appropriate to give the idea some sober second thought. Will surveillance make us safer? Is it worth the invasion of our collective privacy?
Studies indicate that Canadians seem willing to accept surveillance systems if they deter violent crimes such as murders and sexual assaults. However, these are not the kind of crimes that surveillance prevents. Surveillance is effective in deterring property crimes, such as robbery and vandalism – crimes of opportunity committed on the basis of calculated risk. Violent crimes, often fuelled by drugs, alcohol and rage, are not deterred by surveillance systems.
For evidence, we need look no further than Sudbury. On Jan. 20 the city’s surveillance system, which monitors the city’s downtown core, captured a midnight gang beating that left a man hospitalized with severe facial injuries.
It would appear the attackers took little heed of the city’s so-called “Eye in the Sky” and the prominent signs proclaiming its presence.
This may not be an isolated incident. A recent letter to The Sudbury Star notes: “The cameras do not deter drugs, vandals or prostitutes. Crimes like assault and theft continue throughout the downtown core and Sudbury District.”
The 10-year-old system originally included 24/7 human surveillance of CCTV footage. After a few years, however, even with the help of volunteers and college students, the personnel costs became unaffordable. Now, the system records but cannot respond, affording residents little, if any, additional safety.
Centretown residents and business owners should be wary of cameras in the core as well. Again, studies have shown that surveillance systems often displace rather than eliminate crime. If cameras are installed on Rideau Street and in the Byward Market, Centretown could see an increase in property crime and vagrancy.
Surveillance systems can also lead to racial or class-based profiling.
Monitoring live surveillance footage, says Josh Greenberg, an expert on surveillance at Carleton University, is a mind-numbing overload of visual information. To cope, watchers end up relying on class and racial stereotypes.
Residents should be wary of half-baked schemes that serve the short-term political interests of local politicians rather the public interest. Otherwise, Ottawa could end up being the butt end of a pointless joke with a totalitarian punchline.
–Jeffrey Davis