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Police Given Access to Congestion-Charge Cameras

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the creep-hard-to-stop dept.

The BBC is reporting that anti-terror Police officers in London have been given live access to the "congestion charge cameras", allowing them to view and track vehicles in real time. This is a change from the original procedure that required them to apply for access on a case-by-case basis. "Under the new rules, anti-terror officers will be able to view pictures in "real time" from Transport for London's (Tfl) 1,500 cameras, which use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to link cars with owners' details. But they will only be able to use the data for national security purposes and not to fight ordinary crime, the Home Office stressed."

6 of 293 comments (clear)

  1. Form Letter by UncleWilly · · Score: 5, Funny
    Dear Sir/Madam: Laden, Osama, bin

    Your flagrant disregard for paying of the £8-a-day toll has been noted. Your days are numbered, Sir.

  2. The best part. by Radon360 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    only be able to use the data for national security purposes and not to fight ordinary crime, the Home Office stressed

    Yeah, for now.

    1. Re:The best part. by Nightwraith · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yep. And they weren't to be used for National Security purposes when installed.

      This is why you don't give a mouse a cookie...

    2. Re:The best part. by cuantar · · Score: 5, Informative

      Have you tried to buy Sudafed (not the new fake adrenaline precursor crap, but the kind that's actually pseudoephedrine) in the last year or so? The newest version of the Patriot Act includes a section intended to cut down on meth production by placing restrictions on this *unscheduled* and rather effective sinus medicine. How does the regulation of pseudoephedrine have anything to do with national security? It's Title VII of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2006, and here's a link: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&dbname=cp1 09&sid=cp109WUZzm&refer=&r_n=hr333.109&item=&sel=T OC_218802&

      Jose Padilla was a Chicago street gang member originally from Brooklyn who converted to Islam while in prison. He was arrested, declared an "enemy combatant," and transferred to a military brig in South Carolina. He was denied due process, and he's an American citizen. The wikipedia article agrees with what I've read elsewhere.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Padilla_(al leged_terrorist)


      These are just two examples. There are many more (the domestic wiretapping?) but these are the two that come to mind readily.

      --
      Legalize it.
  3. Jean Charles de Menezes by tsbiscaro · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The offices can't even tell the difference between 2 photos. Jean was murdered by London officers after they mislead him with a Muslim terrorist that lived at the same building. An officer took a picture of Jean, sent to the police headquarters, and they said: "that's it, he's our man". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Charles_de_Menez es

  4. Re:Can you taste that? by myspace-cn · · Score: 5, Informative

    It ain't off topic.

    The boiling frog analogy can absolutely be applied.
    Welcome to the surveillance system.