Number plate recognition cameras encircle part of Birmingham!

[robertvi]

Get this:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/ju...illance-scheme

169 CCTV cameras installed in a neighbourhood of Birmingham, some of them hidden, including a circle of 'em to get every vehicle plate entering or leaving The area was considered 'at risk' re:Muslim extremists.

Welcome to the police state!

[mashman]

lol... I don't see a problem with these things... if they're catching people that have done bad things then bravo... as for the police state... what do you think we live in at the moment...

[Ixion]

They're not there to catch people who have done bad things. They're there to monitor Muslims - cos, like, every Muslim is a terrorist. Didn't you know that?

[robertvi]

lol... I don't see a problem with these things... if they're catching people that have done bad things then bravo... as for the police state... what do you think we live in at the moment...

The police will use it for tracking people they just want to keep an eye on and it will become the norm unless we object.

Great for picking up proto-terrorist? I'm not so sure. They'll keep their bomb making equipment in the boot where you can't see it! I bet the system will generate a huge number of 'false positives' where (as is already happening in the UK) police suddenly turn up to hassle people who are just using a camera near somewhere the cops decided was 'sensitive', and they won't be friendly when they search you.

Having read a few words by Bruce Schneier, I know there are lots of examples of security systems set up for supposedly special, limited purposes that were then misused - anti-terrorism powers were recently used by the UK against an Icelandic Bank to protect UK citizens' funds for example.

The term police state describes a state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population. A police state typically exhibits elements of totalitarianism and social control, and there is usually little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive.

We're not quite there yet, but it's a step in that direction.

[mashman]

They're not there to catch people who have done bad things. They're there to monitor Muslims - cos, like, every Muslim is a terrorist. Didn't you know that?

lol... must be testing eye recognition software then

he police will use it for tracking people they just want to keep an eye on and it will become the norm unless we object.

Great for picking up proto-terrorist? I'm not so sure. They'll keep their bomb making equipment in the boot where you can't see it! I bet the system will generate a huge number of 'false positives' where (as is already happening in the UK) police suddenly turn up to hassle people who are just using a camera near somewhere the cops decided was 'sensitive', and they won't be friendly when they search you.

Having read a few words by Bruce Schneier, I know there are lots of examples of security systems set up for supposedly special, limited purposes that were then misused - anti-terrorism powers were recently used by the UK against an Icelandic Bank to protect UK citizens' funds for example.

The term police state describes a state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population. A police state typically exhibits elements of totalitarianism and social control, and there is usually little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive.

I happen to think that describes the current state of this and just about every other nation these days. The government already have rigid control over the social, economic and political life of the population. (you send submissions, they ignore them)

Govt already make every (anti)social law... who cares if it breaches human rights...
Govt already control the economy using taxation to mention 1 control mechanism...
Govt already make promises to fool the electorate into believing that what they'll do is good for the people... (they tailor their policies for the masses, not because it's right)

so yeah, I think we're there... the controls are just being tightened as the tech becomes available...

[Indiana_Jones]

Rag heads are not to be trusted.

-Indy

[Jonathan]

Birmingham? What sort of terrorist would target Birmingham? And if they did, who would really care?

It's like the NZ Government investing the same sort of technology in a neighbourhood in Palmy.

[watermellon]

Bureaucracy is surveillance. The cross-referencing of databases makes for more and more powerful mechanisms; exponentially.

However, what this largely relies upon is the belief in the public for the potential for all things to be known or at least discoverable. This leads to self regulation (much like religious belief can).

The key is to not give a damn. Live your life and enjoy whatever sense of freedom you can find (like riding a bike for example).

[slofox]

Well...I don't ride in Birmingham very often, so what the hell..?

[scumdog]

Mate of mine use to work in Birmingham, asked his kid to put on their best authentic Brummie accent for me

Hell, the kid sounded just like Apu from the Simpsons.......

[Big Dave]

[robertvi]

Mate of mine use to work in Birmingham, asked his kid to put on their best authentic Brummie accent for me

Hell, the kid sounded just like Apu from the Simpsons.......

lol, I guess it just depends which part of Birmingham to take your accent from

Birmingham? What sort of terrorist would target Birmingham? And if they did, who would really care?

I think the idea is that the terrorists would plan something naughty in Birmingham and then take the train to London, or where ever. Probably not to NZ though...

[ac3_snow]

My old man had a looksee in the control room thingee in the police hq just on the north side of the harbour bridge. Was talking to one of the operators there and apprantly pretty much all of the motorways in auckland are under surveilance.
I always thought it was just the bridge hence never did anything to foolish whilst crossing. But apprantly you aren't really safe any where near the city!
However I imagine you would be needing to do somehitng pretty damm ridicously for them to chase you up about it.
after all how many poeple done 150 plus or some dodgy move on the motorway and gotton away with it?

[Dave Lobster]

lol, I guess it just depends which part of Birmingham to take your accent from

They're all the same to anyone that isn't from there.

Has anyone here BEEN to birmingham? It's wall to wall pakis. You can drive for miles and not see a white face.
If I was running a CT team, it'd be where I'd be putting CCTV.

Bags are being placed over hundreds of cameras which were recently installed in the neighbourhoods of Washwood Heath and Sparkbrook, to reassure the community that their movements are not being monitored until a public consultation takes place.

I'm pretty sure white people were jailed for this when something similar happened to revenue cameras.
Always a different story when the eye of the law is looking at sooties.

[scumdog]

They're all the same to anyone that isn't from there.

Has anyone here BEEN to birmingham? It's wall to wall pakis. You can drive for miles and not see a white face.

Yup, that's what my mate told me - and as for the pubs bought by Muslims and then closed? (Alcohol is a no-no to them...) - don't get him going on THAT topic!