IT'S BEGINNING TO FEEL LIKE 1984

The launch of Winnipeg's new public video surveillance program will
cause more problems than it will solve.

Last Thursday, police activated the first two surveillance cameras
that will record what is happening at a number of designated downtown
problem areas known for drug trafficking and other criminal
activities. A total of 10 cameras will eventually be activated.

The video footage will typically be stored by police for 72 hours
before being deleted. Police have said that they will not actively
monitor the cameras as they record, but that they reserve the right
to do so if they believe it becomes necessary. The footage will
primarily be used in police investigations to help in the
identification of suspects.

In a news conference last week, Winnipeg police Supt. Gord Schumacher
said, "Let me emphasize that the closed-circuit cameras are a tool
used to assist officers with investigations, not a replacement for
officers on the street."

However, these cameras will undoubtedly cause people to have a false
sense of security. It is important to remember that these cameras
will not be monitored by police in real time - the video records will
only be accessed in conjunction with a police investigation into a
past incident. I don't see how it would be overly helpful to police
to delve into video records merely to confirm that an unidentifiable
individual wearing a hoodie and a balaclava was indeed responsible
for a series of muggings.

Several people have already stated that they will support any
initiative that makes them feel safer downtown. They believe that the
presence of cameras will deter individuals from committing violent
crimes in the area.

However, violent crime is not usually committed by normal, rational
people. Most violent criminals do not run cost-benefit analyses -
which would force them to now take into account a higher probability
of being caught - prior to acting. The vast majority of violent
crimes are inherently irrational acts. But I suppose it is comforting
for individuals to believe that the mere presence of a camera will
protect them. Unfortunately, this can be achieved only by having more
officers physically patrolling dangerous areas.

The new program will be similarly ineffective against other criminal
acts, such as drug dealing, that involve rational thought, including
consideration of the new threat posed by the cameras. The
surveillance cameras will simply displace crime. They will not
successfully reduce these acts. Addicts will still get their drugs -
dealers will just move to a neighbouring street without cameras.

Accordingly, criminal activity will now be less predictable and more
difficult to keep in check. But at least the City will be able to
boast that, by the end of the year-long pilot project, crime rates in
the areas where surveillance cameras have been installed have dropped
significantly.

This program also raises a number of privacy concerns. Where will it
end? Sure, there are just 10 cameras for now. But this program could
easily continue to expand until we realize that we are living in a
society in which Big Brother watches our every move. If this is not
1984 itself, it certainly seems like 1983.