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Bedford – don’t do it!

Bedford I lived very happily for some time in sunny Bedford (hence the self-indulgent photo here). Indeed, my mother was born in Bedford. It is therefore with particular sadness that I read Bedford Council's decision to buy ANPR technology – i.e. a mobile CCTV system to snoop on motorists.

The relevant paperwork requires a declaration that the Mayor has been consulted… now, if only there was a similar box to check which ensured that the relevant research in the area had been read. They would see that ANPR cameras are being used to target innocent motorists and 7.6 billion journeys have been logged on the ANPR database thus far, allowing the accumulation of vast amounts of data about law-abiding people.

Big Brother Watch called for greater transparency in the ANPR system in our manifesto – how it is used, who is being tracked and how long the journey records are retained. Until such information is given, people shouldn't be using public money to buy ANPR systems.

I hope that that's the logic behind the Coalition's announcement that ANPR is going to be regulated. The form of that regulation has yet to be decided. Again, in a time of this uncertainty about how or even perhaps whether such systems will operate, until such information is given, people shouldn't be using public money
to buy ANPR systems.

Finally, to state the obvious, everyone's broke at the moment. Is this really the time to be hurling money at expensive systems of uncertain value, used to pry on privacy and raise revenue?

The decision is still subject to being "called in", as our friends in local government call it. Well, call it in, councillors!

**UPDATE** eagle-eyed readers have spotted that I have in fact confused two SEPARATE sorts of snooping spending on surveillance systems in Bedford – Decision 831 on ANPR and Decision 841 on mobile CCTV. Poor Bedfordians.

By Alex Deane

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Big Brother Watch Posted in CCTV
  • http://benefitfraud.blogspot.com John Page

    But if you believe in localism, isn’t it up to the elected council?

  • http://profile.typepad.com/alexdeane Alex Deane

    @John: one can disagree with decisions taken by decision makers, whatever the level at which the decision is taken…!
    Certainly, the decision is more easily justified if those making it are elected, I agree – but those with strong mandates can still make mistakes, and one is still entitled to point them out when one believes a mistake has been/is going to be made.

  • http://mikecunningham.wordpress.com/ Mike Cunningham

    This device is supposed to aid in atopping contraventions of the relevant TRO’s, but if you check the PDF, you will also find that it states:-
    Using mobile CCTV enforcement to improve the road safety outside of schools(which can place vulnerable children at risk) could have an additional benefit as undertaking pro-active enforcement may help to reduce the number of pupils taken to school by private motorcar by encourage parents to consider
    alternative means of travel.
    So they are trying to stop parents from taking their kids to school by car!

  • Bedford Council Tax Payer

    John Page, this decision was made by one councillor, the Portfolio Holder (why do councillors have such ridiculous titles these days? Is it to justify their ridiculously high allowances?) for Community Spying, not by the entire council, and signed off by the mayor. I don’t call that democracy. This is the first I’ve heard of these plans, they have certainly not been publicly discussed in the town. I for one object to them.

  • John

    Isn’t this about stopping the lazy parents from parking on the yellow zigzags outside schools and putting the lives of children at risk? The other option is to employ a traffic warden to stand outside every school and write down their number plates. This would cost more to administer and would therefore be less effective surely?

  • Bedford Council Tax Payer

    John, there are two separate issues here. I am objecting in particular to the purchase of ANPR. This system will presumably be fixed so none of us can leave the town without it being recorded. Nothing to do with schools or parking, but car movements.
    The council is also purchasing a mobile CCTV unit which will apparently be used,inter alia, outside schools. The parking outside schools in this town is a major problem, but since Bedford employs plenty of traffic wardens already, I believe using a few of them outside the schools would be cheaper and more effective. In fact, one road with several schools and a major problem with poor parking has a cop shop in the school grounds, why don’t they pop out and deal with it?