British Police Turn To Citizens To Set Speed Traps

[HAL 9000 96]

Well I think the machinery of authoritarianism (which is what this is) goes too far, but I'm not convinced that the UK is an authoritarian state on the basis of electronic surveillance.

Neither am I, but as James Madison said in a 1788 speech to the Virginia Convention,

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual

and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpation."

HAL 9000 believes this sounds eerily like post 911 USA.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Well I think the machinery of authoritarianism (which is what this is) goes too far, but I'm not convinced that the UK is an authoritarian state on the basis of electronic surveillance.

Neither am I, but as James Madison said in a 1788 speech to the Virginia Convention,

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual

and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpation."

HAL 9000 believes this sounds eerily like post 911 USA.

I think the point really is that its knee-jerk responses to things like 9/11 that give away more of our freedoms than we perhaps realise. Its not a guarantee that we'll turn into some sort of authoritarian fascist state - but few (if any governments) will give away these powers once they have them.

Which is why Patriot Acts and the like are perhaps more dangerous than people realise - though it should be stressed that the danger is largely theoretical.

[Heracles 417]

Big Brother fear mongering is nothing new here. OMG the government is going to come out and get you and spy on your shitty lives. No it is called enforcing the laws.

Edited November 25, 2008 by Aficionado

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Big Brother fear mongering is nothing new here. OMG the government is going to come out and get you and spy on your shitty lives. No it is called enforcing the laws.

The question of course is whether "Big Brother" technologies produce tangible results to justify their use.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Britain stinks.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Britain stinks.

Your dog stinks.

[Heracles 417]

Big Brother fear mongering is nothing new here. OMG the government is going to come out and get you and spy on your shitty lives. No it is called enforcing the laws.

The question of course is whether "Big Brother" technologies produce tangible results to justify their use.

These technologies are just a tool for the police. The police cannot be everywhere so they assist in monitoring and managing police resources more effectively. Melbourne, for example, is quite a safe place ever since they installed surveillance cameras throughout the city. People's right to live in a free and safe society should override someone's paranoia that the government is out to snoop on their individual lives.

In this example it is a good idea. There are lots of idiots who drive their cars 60 miles an hour in built up residential streets and always seem to evade police. This way if someone is a nuisance the police can provide the residents with the means to assist them in apprehending the idiot. Nothing more, Nothing less.

[Ban Hammer 13,656]

Britain stinks.

Your dog stinks.

at least his dog rolled in something to get that way.

[Amby 490]

I've always thought all of those CCTV cameras were really creepy

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Big Brother fear mongering is nothing new here. OMG the government is going to come out and get you and spy on your shitty lives. No it is called enforcing the laws.

The question of course is whether "Big Brother" technologies produce tangible results to justify their use.

These technologies are just a tool for the police. The police cannot be everywhere so they assist in monitoring and managing police resources more effectively. Melbourne, for example, is quite a safe place ever since they installed surveillance cameras throughout the city. People's right to live in a free and safe society should override someone's paranoia that the government is out to snoop on their individual lives.

In this example it is a good idea. There are lots of idiots who drive their cars 60 miles an hour in built up residential streets and always seem to evade police. This way if someone is a nuisance the police can provide the residents with the means to assist them in apprehending the idiot. Nothing more, Nothing less.

I get that they're tools - I'm questioning whether they are actually effective. The UK Home office maintains that CCTV reduces crime rates by about 4% but that effect seems to conditional on whether or not people know that the cameras are there and that they're only *really* effective in certain places (i.e. car parks).

Privately operated CCTV cameras have been around for years - I'm just not really convinced that the cost of the government CCTV programmes actually provides value for money - in terms of the tangible benefits that they bring.

As to speed traps - why do the police need citizens to do it? Why can't they simply install fixed speed cameras in areas that have a lot of complaints?

[Niels Bohr 72]

[truffles 2]

LOL...perhaps this is where they got the idea?

http://articles.latimes.com/1997/oct/09/local/me-41017

[truffles 2]

or this:

similar article:

http://speedtrapahead.org/wordpress/2008/0...clock-speeders/

most interesting is this line

"Since 2003, a similar community policing program has been in place in Shawnee, Kan."

So .... who was talking about Britain evolving into communism??? .... need to take a look nearer home perhaps?

[Peikko 1,575]

Bizarre ideas about in all kinds of places, including the UK. You can call it communism if you like, but it just shows your appalling ignorance of political ideologies. Hey, but what's new?

[bhajishah 4]

what posers, beware or uniformed and armed gang memebers aka the po pos