CCTV and planning permission

[jenstar]

What would be a good objection to make against the installation of a CCTV camera in a public shopping precinct? Planning permission is being sought for one in a town centre very near to me, and I don't think merely pointing out the infringement of civil liberties is going to impress the planning department considering that's the whole point of putting the camera there in the first place, and they haven't thrown out any CCTV proposals on that basis before.

[paulz]

Jenstar, why would you want to object against it? Surely its protecting you & the shoppers/stores?

[tartanwiz]

If the camera is looking into your home or garden you might have grounds for legal objection. If that is the case, check it out with your local councillor.

[LeMarchand]

I have to say that I'm curious as to why anyone would object to CCTV in a precinct. Surely it will only affect those people engaged in criminal activities, unless someone who knows you is monitoring the CCTV feed and knows you shouldn't be in town/with person X?

[boviner]

guilt i would imagine

[TheBrad]

Why don't you hold a massive protest and bring your town or city to a grinding halt. Then, when there's no cctv you can whinge and whine about your town/city being unsafe,no police,muggers and robbers everywhere,your children are'nt safe etc etc. I appreciate everybodys civil liberties but hav'nt the criminals had a good enough run. There again we would'nt want to infringe their HUMAN RIGHTS.

[jenstar]

You ******* cretin BigDen. Even if my town was a criminal blackspot (and it isn't), nothing could ever justify treating every single person as a criminal suspect. As part of the innocent majority, of course I object to the use of CCTV. Bloody hell, when I was growing up it was taken for granted that such things were absolutely evil, that the general public would never accept them because we'd won two world wars to keep our country free and we prized our freedom so much that we would never accept mass surveillance in any form. Not just me, but pretty much EVERYONE believed that the use of CCTV is absolutely wrong, and would remain absolutely wrong for all time. A mere twenty years on, the situation today is a nightmare beyond anything we thought possible back then.

[TheBrad]

Well well. Why am I not surprised that a tree-hugging liberal as yourself turns to abuse when anything/body dares to question anything that you honestly believe we all think. I think CCTV is the best thing since sliced bread. I don'y worry so much when my family goes to the City shopping or a night out. Why do you automatically think that just because you may have something to hide we do. CCTV is very closely monitored and I can't see for the life of me why any law abiding citizen would object. I for one Jenstar will continually support the use of CCTV and if anybody does'nt agree I absolutely promise not to show any true colours and answer with abuse.