July 05, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people in Britain support the country’s broad use of surveillance cameras, according to a poll by YouGov published in The Economist. 74 per cent of respondents believe it is a good thing that Britain has more closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras than any other country, used to monitor streets, subway stations, shopping centres, and other premises.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people in Britain support the country’s broad use of surveillance cameras, according to a poll by YouGov published in The Economist. 74 per cent of respondents believe it is a good thing that Britain has more closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras than any other country, used to monitor streets, subway stations, shopping centres, and other premises.

Conversely, 22 per cent of respondents disapprove of the amount of cameras Britain uses, because these devices allow the state to "snoop" on people and invade their privacy.

There are about 4.2 million CCTV cameras in Britain, roughly one for every 14 people. The average person in London is videotaped or snapped by a camera close to 300 times a day. In October 2007, security officials called for an upgrade of the national security system that would entail creating a central station where all the existing surveillance circuits would connect and be monitored. Just months before that, the government announced the introduction of "talking" CCTV cameras through which operators can communicate with people on the streets via a speaker.

In 2006, the House of Commons approved the Identity Cards Act, effectively creating Britain’s National Identity Register (NIR). The NIR is due to store up to 49 different items on everyone living in the country, including fingerprints, DNA, home address and telephone numbers. The legislation stipulates that, starting in 2009, everybody in Britain will hold a "smart" biometric ID card linked to the national register. The card will be required for access to public services such as doctors’ surgeries, unemployment offices, libraries and others.

Britain now has the largest DNA database in the world. It includes data on people who have not been convicted of any crime. 51 per cent of respondents think the police should be able to build up their DNA database, so that eventually every citizen’s DNA is on file. Conversely, 43 per cent of respondents say DNA data should be held only for convicted criminals, and want the data on everyone else’s DNA to be destroyed.

In June 2007, Gordon Brown officially became Labour leader and prime minister, replacing Tony Blair. Brown had worked as chancellor of the exchequer. Blair served as Britain’s prime minister since May 1997, winning majority mandates in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 elections to the House of Commons.

In early June, the House of Commons’ Home Affairs Committee released a report asking the government to impose new limits on the amount of data stored on British citizens, and warned that the country is on the way to becoming a "surveillance society". The report called for authorities to hold personal information such as DNA samples, video footage and banking details for a shorter period of time. Committee chairman Keith Vaz—a member of the governing Labour party—declared: "What we are calling for is an overall principle of least data, for least time."

Polling Data

Britain has more closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras than any other country, monitoring streets, stations, shopping centres, offices etc. Do you think...

This is broadly a good thing, as CCTV cameras help to deter criminal behaviour and catch offenders	74%
This is broadly a bad thing, because these cameras allow the state to "snoop" on people and invade their privacy	22%
Don’t know	5%

Police are relying ever more heavily on DNA to solve crimes. Britain now has the largest DNA database in the world. It includes data on people who have not been convicted of any crime. Which of these statements comes closer to your view?

In order to be able to catch more criminals, the police should be able to build up their DNA database, so that eventually they hold DNA data on every citizen	51%
DNA data should be held only for convicted criminals. Data on everyone else’s DNA should be destroyed	43%
Don’t know	7%

Source: YouGov / The Economist
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,073 British voters, conducted from Jun. 17 to Jun. 19, 2008. No margin of error was provided.