Oxford City Council Mandates CCTV Cameras In Taxies by 2015

First time accepted submitter Beowulf878 writes "In yet another data-collection feast by the government in the UK, a local council has proposed fitting at least one CCTV camera per taxi to record every conversation. Obviously the reason given is our own safety. Thoughts?"

Comments

Well, I have one....

[RobinEggs]

Obviously we can't have a discussion without the summary all but telling us how we're supposed to react.

Thoughts?

Re:Well, I have one....

[Builder]

The rioting had nothing to do with the fact that the police are dangerous. The rioting had everything to do with the fact that criminal scum wanted free stuff.

75% of the people arrested as part of the riots so far had previous convictions. Around 20% had more than 10 previous convictions. These were not law abiding citizens fighting the man.

The only safety a government cares about . . .

[Mitchell314]

is its own.

Had them for a while...

[billcopc]

Here in Ottawa, we've had cameras in taxis for a while. I have no idea if anything has come of it, other than the added expense for each taxi owner of a possibly useless camera. Seems to me like the camera supplier is in bed with the city councillor...

Re:Had them for a while...

[Anonymous Coward]

...Seems to me like the camera supplier is in bed with the city councillor...

Was there a camera? Do you have that on video?

Old News

[skine]

Porn companies have been doing this for years.

Sydney taxis

[Captain Sensible]

CCTV cameras have been fitted to taxis in Sydney for several years now at the request of the drivers. The hope is that this deters robberies. Does it work? I have never seen any figures - does anyone else know? They have also been fitted in State Transit buses with newer buses having a least three. In this case while it does not deter theft or assault it does lead to convictions. Also some entertaining reality TV on the news each night.

Re:Sydney taxis

[Sqr(twg)]

A Danish security firm says that attempted robberies went down by 80 % after they put stickers saying "taxi under camera surveillance" on cars belonging to Copenhagen taxi. Actual cameras were not allowed in taxis in Denmark at the time.

Re:haha brits are treated like children

[gumbi west]

Every cab/limo in NYC has a camera in it.

Re:haha brits are treated like children

[Nursie]

So this is one city in the UK as compared to -

The whole of Australia already has this.
As does New Zealand
As do Toronto and Winnipeg
NYC requirees either a camera or a partition.
Yellow Cabs in houston also have them.

This is to stop cab drivers getting robbed and murdered, not to spy on who is going where.

Wow

[TennCasey]

It never ceases to amaze me just how accurate George Orwell was about where England was going.

Fitted in New Zealand since August

[flibbajobber]

They've been compulsorily fitted to taxis in New Zealand since August. Taxi companies fitted them at their own expense. Drivers are saying they feel safer, and the industry is claiming the amount of abuse against drivers have dropped and the cameras have directly led to arrests, including for several very serious incidents. Despite the camera systems costing upwards of $1000 per vehicle, the drivers are saying it's money well-spent.

So please ignore the cynicism of the Slashdot submitter & editor - they evidently do improve driver safety.

When will Britain get a charter of rights?

[kawabago]

The British don't have anything to protect them from their Government, I guess because their Government was set up to protect them from their King.

Re:Firearms Rights

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not like you Americans are any better off, with your firearms rights. I've yet to hear of a single firearm being turned on a police officer who's assaulting a citizen who has offered no resistance at all, during the Occupy protests.

Re:How many taxi drivers are robbed?

[sqrt(2)]

I prefer to take a page from socialism, and a page from libertarianism, and create a new book that works better than either one alone. Nothing in your personal life affects me, so I should have no say over it. I don't care who you marry, have sex with, what you put in your body or if you end your life. But your economic life effects me and everyone else in this society, so it should be partially regulated. With the right balance, and the a healthy amount of vigilance by the populace, this system can work. It's worked in the past, it works now, it can work for our future.

Re:How many taxi drivers are robbed?

[cheekyjohnson]

The only reason you don't rape and murder is because you'd be punished if you did, right?

Definitely. As I've played many violent video games, I already have the mentality of a murderer. The only thing that is keeping me from murdering people indiscriminately is my fear of being punished!

This is just one local council

[Anonymous Brave Guy]

This is an action by one local council, probably trying to make some sort of political statement. Councils of this level are very low-powered in this country and frequently full of jumped up jobsworths who want to be important.

It is highly unlikely this will come to anything: notice the comment in TFA by the Information Commissioner's Office that the plans are "highly intrusive and unlikely to be justified". (For those outside the UK: The ICO is our central, national-level oversight body for things like data protection and freedom of information.)