Issues with publishing photographs of potential witnesses
Discussion
Somewhat in connection with www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=332357&f=10&h=0
The police have indicated that they are to publish photographs (stills from CCTV) of unknown witnesses they believe can assist in detecting a particularly nasty crime.
Now, here's the rub. You are with a "friend" in a particular place. Your photograph is published by the police as a potential witness (you may be unaware of a crime having been committed). Your spouse/partner sees your photograph associated with a place and a time when you have said you were elsewhere (and certainly not with the "friend"
.
The publication of your photograph without your permission causes you great embarrassment, and possibly worse.
Do you have any come-back against the police?
Streaky
The police have indicated that they are to publish photographs (stills from CCTV) of unknown witnesses they believe can assist in detecting a particularly nasty crime.
Now, here's the rub. You are with a "friend" in a particular place. Your photograph is published by the police as a potential witness (you may be unaware of a crime having been committed). Your spouse/partner sees your photograph associated with a place and a time when you have said you were elsewhere (and certainly not with the "friend"
. The publication of your photograph without your permission causes you great embarrassment, and possibly worse.
Do you have any come-back against the police?
Streaky
So you'd be looking to blame the police for inadvertently revealing your indiscretion, rather than yourself for having an affair 
*
It does however raise the question about CCTV coverage, specifically when the cameras are observed by somebody you might know. That operator could see what you're up to, and innocently mention your movements to a friend - which subsequently lands you in trouble for whatever reason. I think there should be very strict penalties to stop this from happening.
*
It does however raise the question about CCTV coverage, specifically when the cameras are observed by somebody you might know. That operator could see what you're up to, and innocently mention your movements to a friend - which subsequently lands you in trouble for whatever reason. I think there should be very strict penalties to stop this from happening.
Parrot of Doom said:
... It does however raise the question about CCTV coverage, specifically when the cameras are observed by somebody you might know. That operator could see what you're up to, and innocently mention your movements to a friend - which subsequently lands you in trouble for whatever reason. I think there should be very strict penalties to stop this from happening.
I work for my local council, and part of my duties has involved spending time in one of the CCTV rooms (training the emergency "out of hours" service to deal with requests for repairs to council houses), and of course there are banks of screens with CCTV images on them in the CCTV room...
A CCTV Operator will not mention what he sees to anybody except rarely in the most vague anonymous terms ("I saw a car crash at such-and-such a place" for example, the same as a passer-by could report) - that much is drilled into them from the first day. If he were to pass on any further information than this then he would risk a disciplinary and most likely loss of employment. On my first visit this was drilled into me - and also by 'signing in' I agree to the stipulations of the Official Secrets Act with respect to anything I see happening, and the same applies to the CCTV Operators in that office. I would hope that the same applies to private CCTV firms...
Truth be told, there is so much 'stuff' to take in while watching so many CCTV screens (around 8 main screens plus others as well, in the control room I've been in) it all gets lost in one's memory. Any exciting stuff is exceedingly rare, and while everything is recorded it is usually only specific (Police and Insurance Company, from my limited experience) enquiries that lead to attention being brought to specific episodes because the tapes need to be copied for evidence (for example, scenes of crimes or road accidents).
To imagine that an operator that you know will see you and think "Eh up! I'll follow him!" then gossip in the pub about what he saw you doing is misguided, as there are many screens and a lot of things to see, as well as (in the case of my local council CCTV Operators) the Official Secrets Act...
Edited by aw51 121565 on Sunday 3rd December 00:58
Also:
What happens if the perps identify (and pehaps "neutralise" the witnesses before plod?
All in all I think I dislike the real erosion of privicy that CCTV and other surveilence technology causes far, far, far more than I like the small supposed benefit to my security it offers.
I don't think I want to risk the feature creep offered by CCTV, ANPR, SPECS and the like - scrap it all.
What happens if the perps identify (and pehaps "neutralise"
the witnesses before plod? All in all I think I dislike the real erosion of privicy that CCTV and other surveilence technology causes far, far, far more than I like the small supposed benefit to my security it offers.
I don't think I want to risk the feature creep offered by CCTV, ANPR, SPECS and the like - scrap it all.
aw51 121565 said:
A CCTV Operator will not mention what he sees to anybody except rarely in the most vague anonymous terms ("I saw a car crash at such-and-such a place" for example, the same as a passer-by could report) - that much is drilled into them from the first day. If he were to pass on any further information than this then he would risk a disciplinary and most likely loss of employment. On my first visit this was drilled into me - and also by 'signing in' I agree to the stipulations of the Official Secrets Act with respect to anything I see happening, and the same applies to the CCTV Operators in that office. I would hope that the same applies to private CCTV firms...
Truth be told, there is so much 'stuff' to take in while watching so many CCTV screens (around 8 main screens plus others as well, in the control room I've been in) it all gets lost in one's memory. Any exciting stuff is exceedingly rare, and while everything is recorded it is usually only specific (Police and Insurance Company, from my limited experience) enquiries that lead to attention being brought to specific episodes because the tapes need to be copied for evidence (for example, scenes of crimes or road accidents).
To imagine that an operator that you know will see you and think "Eh up! I'll follow him!" then gossip in the pub about what he saw you doing is misguided, as there are many screens and a lot of things to see, as well as (in the case of my local council CCTV Operators) the Official Secrets Act...
They might not gossip, but i know from experience that some operators are quite happy to demonstrate to visitors exactly how good their toys are and what they can see with them.
monkeyhanger said:
They might not gossip, but i know from experience that some operators are quite happy to demonstrate to visitors exactly how good their toys are and what they can see with them.
They go to jail if they get caught, though:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/me
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