Vital protection or sinister addition to our surveillance society? The spy camera hidden in badges

It looks like a standard identity badge, giving the traffic warden’s number and confirming that he is an officer of the local council. But a closer examination of the card pinned to the warden’s jacket reveals something far more sinister – it contains a tiny lens and is actually a camera for filming motorists. It is so unobtrusive that many motorists would not even know they were being filmed.


Wardens – or civil enforcement officers (CEOs), as they are now known – are under no obligation to inform drivers that they are filming. The only notification is a small strip across the top of the badge which reads ‘CCTV in operation’. If there is a dispute, footage can be used as evidence in a court.

www.dailymail.co.uk...

More underhanded tactics to spy on us from TPTB, this time, they are giving those jumped up little jobsworth traffic wardens small cameras built into their ID badges, at a cost of £500 per camera, paid for out of your own pocket.

What with the extreme cost and desire to spy on us, it will come to no surprise that the councils that have decided to implement this technology, Barrow-and-Furness and Thurrock are both Labour run.

To be fair they are probably the most abused people in our country.

They are idiots with no morals. They ruin peoples days for a poxy £17,000 a year.

Anyone can film in a public place. And if it can protect them from being assaulted, fair play. No one likes traffic wardens, but assaulting them is taking it too far.

You will probably find these CEO's will inevitably lose out by wearing them. If the footage was screened on a daily basis, the management could say the person wearing the camera was not doing enough to raise revenue, not giving out enough tickets. Is kind of a double edged sword for the person wearing it.

How many people do you think are walking around totally anonymous filming members of the public?

I couldnt care less who films me when im out, if im outside its fair game. Its a different matter when im inside my own home though...where i expect my privacy.

Heck, if you guys over there can insure they are required to tape the full shift with no ability to pause, then this is a system I'd push hard to see required for every cop in the United States. I believe a working version of this would do more to bust out the vast majority of bad cops in short order than anything else ever could.

Privacy while talking to a cop is an interesting concept anyway? Privacy from who?? Aren't the cops who we always want privacy from and yet the camera needs someone right there and within shouting distance of the very person. Hmm..

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
Heck, if you guys over there can insure they are required to tape the full shift with no ability to pause, then this is a system I'd push hard to see required for every cop in the United States. I believe a working version of this would do more to bust out the vast majority of bad cops in short order than anything else ever could.

Privacy while talking to a cop is an interesting concept anyway? Privacy from who?? Aren't the cops who we always want privacy from and yet the camera needs someone right there and within shouting distance of the very person. Hmm..

That is a very good point, but I can't help in asking, why has our society degenerated so deeply that we need to videotape the actions of civil servants to ensure that they are conducting themselves properly, why aren't we employing people capable of following the laws?

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
Heck, if you guys over there can insure they are required to tape the full shift with no ability to pause, then this is a system I'd push hard to see required for every cop in the United States. I believe a working version of this would do more to bust out the vast majority of bad cops in short order than anything else ever could.

Agreed. This is a good idea. If they were required to use them, and could not turn them off, you'd see a radical decrease in the amount of unlawful arrests and violence within custody.

You would be very surprized to know how many others r out their

Revenue raising or more "Big Brother"

CCTV at petrol stations will automatically stop uninsured cars being filled with fuel

Cameras at petrol stations will automatically stop uninsured or untaxed vehicles from being filled with fuel, under new government plans.
Downing Street officials hope the hi-tech system will crack down on the 1.4million motorists who drive without insurance.
Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras are already fitted in thousands of petrol station forecourts.
Drivers can only fill their cars with fuel once the camera has captured and logged the vehicle’s number plate. Currently the system is designed to deter motorists from driving off without paying for petrol.
But under the new plans, the cameras will automatically cross-refererence with the DVLA’s huge database. When a car is flagged as being uninsured or untaxed, the system will prevent the fuel pump being used on that vehicle.
The proposals will have a huge impact - forcing drivers to insure and tax their car if they want to drive.

Downing Street officials are due to meet representatives from the major fuel companies in the next few weeks to discuss the idea.
But some petrol retailers said the proposals were a “step too far” - claiming they put cashiers at risk.
Brian Madderson, from RMI Petrol, which represents independent petrol stations, said:
“Staff are already getting stick from motorists for high fuel prices.
“This proposal will increase the potential for conflict. Our cashiers are not law enforcers.”

I can almost feel the frustration as people stand there and wait to be "authorised" to fill up, great for fuel rationing and restrictions also.

Anything you can do I can do better.
I can do anything better than you.
(It's a song).


www.maplin.co.uk...

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I agree that not being able to turn them off would be a good idea. It won't work though as even policemen need to use the bathroom.....i.e. they need their privacy at times.

So, they will have the option of turning it off....just like a dash cam.

reply to post by ukWolf


That'll make it easy to spot the dodgy motorists. They'll be the ones filling up multiple Jerry cans at the pumps

reply to post by Riakennor


Pump displays message

"Sorry, you have exceeded your carbon emmissions limit for this week, please come back next week.
Thank you for choosing Texaco and have a nice day"



Edit
may also say
"please buy more carbon credits"

Originally posted by HandyDandy
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

I agree that not being able to turn them off would be a good idea. It won't work though as even policemen need to use the bathroom.....i.e. they need their privacy at times.

So, they will have the option of turning it off....just like a dash cam.

And therein lies the problem, eh? If they can turn it off for anything, they can turn it off for everything and the trust just doesn't exist anymore for blind faith in their judgement and pure motives. I hate to treat cops like kids....and the majority don't deserve it...but they'd have themselves and their 'Thin Blue Line' crap to thank for the drastic measures society may have to impose upon their profession, given how bad it's become.

It doesn't appear that England is much different than we are for this. England just doesn't have pepper by the liter bottle, guns on every hip with rifles in every police hand and armed drones taking to the skys to enforce "peace". Err... Yeah... Brave new world huh?

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
Heck, if you guys over there can insure they are required to tape the full shift with no ability to pause, then this is a system I'd push hard to see required for every cop in the United States. I believe a working version of this would do more to bust out the vast majority of bad cops in short order than anything else ever could.

Privacy while talking to a cop is an interesting concept anyway? Privacy from who?? Aren't the cops who we always want privacy from and yet the camera needs someone right there and within shouting distance of the very person. Hmm..

I do hope you will take the time to read Orwell's books, "Nineteen Eighty Four", and "Animal Farm". I hope it would make a difference in your understanding of why this is occurring "for our own good" in the Nanny State.