Does camera surveillance deter crime?
A major argument in favour of implementing camera surveillance is its assumed deterrent effect. Despite claims by police, private security and camera technology companies, deterrence has not been proven. There may well be more evidence that cameras have little to no deterrent effect, since crime rates and other indicators used to measure deterrence fluctuate greatly after camera surveillance installation. At best, deterrence can be achieved only in select locations like parking garages. A University of Leicester report from 2005 showed camera surveillance decreased vehicle theft from parking garages but did little to deter shoplifting or other activities in city streets and open areas. In August of 2007, municipal politicians in London UK lamented the city’s many cameras were not helping to reduce crime. A New York housing complex with over two hundred cameras failed to stop a violent rape in March 2008. Current evidence thus suggests that cameras typically fail to deter activities tha
