Hvad skal vi med terrorister, når vi har politiet?

Storbritanniens allestedsnærværende trafikovervågningskameraer er ved at blive udstyret med software til genkendelse af nummerplader.

Det vil sige, hvis du kører i en efterlyst bil, vil det sige “blip!” og din bil vil lyse rødt, og politiet kan dale ned i sorte helikoptere og pågribe dig, hvor du går og står.

Man kan også bruge det til at sætte et “mærke” på suspekte personers nummerplader. Hvis man for eksempel ofte hænger ud med tvivlsomme elementer, kan ens nummerplade blive indberettet, og alle overvågningssystemerne vil markere, at her er der en, man skal holde øje med.

Det skete for eksempel for John Catt fra Brighton, England. Catts forbrydelse? Han deltog i “suspekte” politiske aktiviteter, i dette tilfælde 100% lovlige demonstrationer mod krigen. Som følge af den “mærkede” nummerplade risikerer han nu gang på gang at blive stoppet og få sin bil gennemrodet – efter antiterrorlovene.

BBC skriver:

John Catt found himself on the wrong side of the ANPR system. He regularly attends anti-war demonstrations outside a factory in Brighton, his home town.

It was at one of these protests that Sussex police put a “marker” on his car. That meant he was added to a “hotlist”.

This is a system meant for criminals but John Catt has not been convicted of anything and on a trip to London, the pensioner found himself pulled over by an anti-terror unit.

“I was threatened under the Terrorist Act. I had to answer every question they put to me, and if there were any questions I would refuse to answer, I would be arrested. I thought to myself, what kind of world are we living in?”

Sussex police would not talk about the case.

(…) The BBC TV series Who’s Watching You? asked the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, to comment on the Commissioner’s views.

“It’s something that we will look at further legislation about where necessary,” she said.

“I don’t think we should lose sight of the very considerable benefits that this technology also brings us, brings law enforcement.”

Recent research by Huddersfield University found that the public seemed to share that view. The study took place in Leeds as the ANPR system was being introduced. The vast majority supported the cameras if they caught law breakers, with only a few mentioning concerns about police surveillance.

In other news. Men ja, lad os da endelig overvåge alt og alle, og bruge overvågningen til at chikanere folk, der ikke er enige med regeringen. Det skal vi nok få et bedre samfund af.

Link: Camera grid to log number plates