Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network!!??

Antaletriangle · 03-31-2009, 01:56 AM

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/ma...-transport-g20

Have a listen to the below:if you're olde enough you may think well,crikey!!yeah!if you're young enough you may think,i may still have a chance!!lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATFNcKYI91M
The security operation at this week's G20 summit was thrown into chaos last night when it emerged that the entire network of central London's wireless CCTV cameras will have to be turned off because of a legal ruling.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has ruled that Westminster council's mobile road cameras - a third of the authority's CCTV network - "do not fully meet the resolution standards required" and must be switched off by midnight tomorrow.

The blackout begins on the eve of the summit, when world leaders arrive in the capital and protesters take to the streets.

The council only discovered last week that images from its newly installed £15m traffic cameras do not meet the quality required under the Traffic Management Act, which comes into force on 1 April.

In an urgently drafted letter seen by the Guardian and hand-delivered to the transport secretary, Geoff Hoon, on Friday, the council warns its entire network of wireless cameras will need to be shut down unless the minister finds a way to give special dispensation. "This would have a serious impact on our ability to manage our road network safely, as well as impeding our community protection efforts," the letter states.

It adds: "We are seeking authorisation from DfT as a matter of urgency to enable Westminster to continue using its digital CCTV network."

The 60 cameras in question use the latest digital technology and transmit images using Wi-Fi. While they are primarily for traffic enforcement, according to the council the cameras are "an essential additional tool" to tackle crime and disorder, and have been fixed to strategic locations across the capital ahead of the summit.

The 24-hour live footage from the cameras, which monitor roads around the West End, Belgravia, Trafalgar Square, Knightsbridge, Oxford Street and London's main bridges, is also accessible to police and the intelligence services.

A further 160 "permanent" CCTV cameras run by the authority are unaffected. However, security officials believe a shutdown of the mobile road cameras could hamper the G20 security operation, which will require police to secure the safe passage of dozens of motorcades carrying delegations VIP diplomats and leaders.

"Frankly, it couldn't have come at a worse time," a source said. "These are not just parking enforcement cameras, they're for public order and we've got the G20 world leaders coming. This is a complete disaster."

Under the legislation, traffic cameras must be capable of recording at 720 x 576 pixels, an analogue broadcast standard.

Westminster's wireless network of road cameras, introduced last year, is the only fully digital traffic enforcement system operating in the UK, and is regarded as one of the most advanced in the world. But its picture quality is only 704 x 576 pixels. The DfT's enforcement branch, the Vehicle Certification Agency, has ruled it does not comply with the law.

DfT lawyers were last night frantically exploring a way to exempt Westminster from the legislation. A department statement said: "To ensure local authorities have a fair and transparent way of detecting unlawful drivers, any recording device must meet minimum requirements."

The council last night confirmed that - barring an 11th-hour U-turn - it would have to switch off the network tomorrow to comply with the act.

Danny Chalkley, the council's cabinet member for environment and transport, said in a statement: "The DfT's position is ludicrous and stuck in the dark ages.

"[This] could result in millions of pounds of taxpayers' money being needed to replace the current cameras, all because of a tiny difference in image resolution on the TV screen."

Anchor · 03-31-2009, 02:51 AM

They don't have to switched off - that is just a dummy spit, they just cannot be used to prosecute certain kinds of motoring offences. I expect they will have a valuable role in the invasion of citizen privacy and monitoring - just as originally planned.

Bottom line is that standards exist, and should be followed. Someone stuffed up - probably in some deal behind closed doors with no-one there to check things properly.

A..

Humble Janitor · 03-31-2009, 05:59 AM

They shouldn't be up at all. Period.

03-31-2009, 11:29 AM

It's a bit of a coincidence isn't it? Right before the G20 summit? And it's a legal issue over a few pixels of resolution? Bull****!

The cameras were all turned off along Princess Diana's route the the Pont d'Alma tunnel too.

This is a huge red flag for me. If those cameras are off I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the G20 protests tomorrow. Now they can have journalists in controlled areas and no record of anything that happens out of their line of sight, and the excuse is in place before anything actually happens.

Dodgy as hell. I might even leave the news channels on tomorrow.

Zeddo · 03-31-2009, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_G

It's a bit of a coincidence isn't it? Right before the G20 summit? And it's a legal issue over a few pixels of resolution? Bull****!

The cameras were all turned off along Princess Diana's route the the Pont d'Alma tunnel too.

This is a huge red flag for me. If those cameras are off I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the G20 protests tomorrow. Now they can have journalists in controlled areas and no record of anything that happens out of their line of sight, and the excuse is in place before anything actually happens.

Dodgy as hell. I might even leave the news channels on tomorrow.

I'm with you on this Steve. My thoughts exactly when I saw the headlines on the Icke site. With these people, everything is planned to the nth degree, no stupid mistakes, all part of the plan. Beware anyone out there, I smell foul play afoot.

Z

Swanny · 03-31-2009, 01:45 PM

Police brutality

Jacqui D · 03-31-2009, 03:57 PM

Yes i seem to remember all cctv cameras were suspiciously turned off when we had the 7/7 London bombings, strange that huh!

I have to agree anyone in those areas need to watch out tomorrow!

piers2210 · 03-31-2009, 04:32 PM

I think I'll stay at home till the morons leave town.....sorry I mean "our esteemed leaders"....

check out this great article called "the psychos are running the nuthouse" by patrick adkins that was posted on the fourwinds10 site...i liked it, so true, sums up the stupidity of our financial leaders.

http://fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/...p?q=1238351554

piers2210 · 03-31-2009, 06:14 PM

If any one is coming into town for the meetings err i mean the protests, give me a shout and i'll happily meet up for a drink afterwards. The finest London tap water of course.

P.

03-31-2009, 01:56 AM	#1
Antaletriangle Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.K. Posts: 3,380	Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network!!?? http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/ma...-transport-g20 Have a listen to the below:if you're olde enough you may think well,crikey!!yeah!if you're young enough you may think,i may still have a chance!!lol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATFNcKYI91M The security operation at this week's G20 summit was thrown into chaos last night when it emerged that the entire network of central London's wireless CCTV cameras will have to be turned off because of a legal ruling. The Department for Transport (DfT) has ruled that Westminster council's mobile road cameras - a third of the authority's CCTV network - "do not fully meet the resolution standards required" and must be switched off by midnight tomorrow. The blackout begins on the eve of the summit, when world leaders arrive in the capital and protesters take to the streets. The council only discovered last week that images from its newly installed £15m traffic cameras do not meet the quality required under the Traffic Management Act, which comes into force on 1 April. In an urgently drafted letter seen by the Guardian and hand-delivered to the transport secretary, Geoff Hoon, on Friday, the council warns its entire network of wireless cameras will need to be shut down unless the minister finds a way to give special dispensation. "This would have a serious impact on our ability to manage our road network safely, as well as impeding our community protection efforts," the letter states. It adds: "We are seeking authorisation from DfT as a matter of urgency to enable Westminster to continue using its digital CCTV network." The 60 cameras in question use the latest digital technology and transmit images using Wi-Fi. While they are primarily for traffic enforcement, according to the council the cameras are "an essential additional tool" to tackle crime and disorder, and have been fixed to strategic locations across the capital ahead of the summit. The 24-hour live footage from the cameras, which monitor roads around the West End, Belgravia, Trafalgar Square, Knightsbridge, Oxford Street and London's main bridges, is also accessible to police and the intelligence services. A further 160 "permanent" CCTV cameras run by the authority are unaffected. However, security officials believe a shutdown of the mobile road cameras could hamper the G20 security operation, which will require police to secure the safe passage of dozens of motorcades carrying delegations VIP diplomats and leaders. "Frankly, it couldn't have come at a worse time," a source said. "These are not just parking enforcement cameras, they're for public order and we've got the G20 world leaders coming. This is a complete disaster." Under the legislation, traffic cameras must be capable of recording at 720 x 576 pixels, an analogue broadcast standard. Westminster's wireless network of road cameras, introduced last year, is the only fully digital traffic enforcement system operating in the UK, and is regarded as one of the most advanced in the world. But its picture quality is only 704 x 576 pixels. The DfT's enforcement branch, the Vehicle Certification Agency, has ruled it does not comply with the law. DfT lawyers were last night frantically exploring a way to exempt Westminster from the legislation. A department statement said: "To ensure local authorities have a fair and transparent way of detecting unlawful drivers, any recording device must meet minimum requirements." The council last night confirmed that - barring an 11th-hour U-turn - it would have to switch off the network tomorrow to comply with the act. Danny Chalkley, the council's cabinet member for environment and transport, said in a statement: "The DfT's position is ludicrous and stuck in the dark ages. "[This] could result in millions of pounds of taxpayers' money being needed to replace the current cameras, all because of a tiny difference in image resolution on the TV screen."

03-31-2009, 02:51 AM	#2
Anchor Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 2,280	Re: Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network!!?? They don't have to switched off - that is just a dummy spit, they just cannot be used to prosecute certain kinds of motoring offences. I expect they will have a valuable role in the invasion of citizen privacy and monitoring - just as originally planned. Bottom line is that standards exist, and should be followed. Someone stuffed up - probably in some deal behind closed doors with no-one there to check things properly. A..

03-31-2009, 05:59 AM	#3
Humble Janitor Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,201	Re: Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network!!?? They shouldn't be up at all. Period.

03-31-2009, 11:29 AM	#4
Steve_G Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network!!?? It's a bit of a coincidence isn't it? Right before the G20 summit? And it's a legal issue over a few pixels of resolution? Bull****! The cameras were all turned off along Princess Diana's route the the Pont d'Alma tunnel too. This is a huge red flag for me. If those cameras are off I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the G20 protests tomorrow. Now they can have journalists in controlled areas and no record of anything that happens out of their line of sight, and the excuse is in place before anything actually happens. Dodgy as hell. I might even leave the news channels on tomorrow.

03-31-2009, 01:45 PM	#6
Swanny I dont need a label ! Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The Shire of Wilt Posts: 2,889	Re: Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network!!?? Police brutality

03-31-2009, 03:57 PM	#7
Jacqui D Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Kent,England Posts: 1,267	Re: Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network!!?? Yes i seem to remember all cctv cameras were suspiciously turned off when we had the 7/7 London bombings, strange that huh! I have to agree anyone in those areas need to watch out tomorrow!

03-31-2009, 04:32 PM	#8
piers2210 Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 403	Re: Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network!!?? I think I'll stay at home till the morons leave town.....sorry I mean "our esteemed leaders".... check out this great article called "the psychos are running the nuthouse" by patrick adkins that was posted on the fourwinds10 site...i liked it, so true, sums up the stupidity of our financial leaders. http://fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/...p?q=1238351554

03-31-2009, 06:14 PM	#9
piers2210 Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 403	Re: Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network!!?? If any one is coming into town for the meetings err i mean the protests, give me a shout and i'll happily meet up for a drink afterwards. The finest London tap water of course. P.