The number of cities with camera surveillance is still increasing, writes Sander Flight in Secondant. Security cameras are used for increasingly different purposes. In order to properly process all those images, collaboration and smart technology seem to be the logical solution. But it turns out that it is not easy to achieve.
Surveillance cameras on the street
When the first Dutch municipalities put cameras on the streets around 2000 for surveillance and law enforcement, it was big news. The trend is coming from the UK. There the Home Office provides tens of millions of subsidies to the local government for the installation of cameras.
Working visit in UK
Dutch mayors and police officers on working visits to British cities were amazed by the surveillance rooms. That’s what they want: keep an eye on multiple places at the same time and be able to intervene immediately before an incident occurs.
More cities with camera surveillance
City CCTV was soon very popular and still is. The number of cities with CCTV surveillance continues to increase. The percentage of Dutch municipalities with this type of camera increased from about 30% to about 60% between 2009 and 2021. Nearly 200 Dutch municipalities now use surveillance cameras to maintain public order.
Flexible camera
The number of camera projects has grown rapidly in the last 5 years. This is undoubtedly related to the amendment to the 2016 law. In that year, the word ‘permanent’ was removed from Article 151c of the City Law. The article offered the city government the option of installing cameras since 2006, but only ‘fixed cameras’.
Starting in 2016, city governments are also allowed to use flexible cameras. The idea behind the amendments to the law is so that criminals and those who harass can easily move elsewhere if cameras are installed somewhere.
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