Government Takes Big Brother to New Heights

The Government is taking big brother to new heights with the UK's first police remote control helicopter. The "spy drone", fitted with CCTV cameras, is being used by Merseyside police primarily for tackling anti-social behaviour and public disorder. This machine which was originally used by the military is 1m wide, incredibly lightweight, and can record images from a height of 500m.

Merseyside's assistant chief constable Simon Byrne said, "We're always looking at ways of putting more officers on the streets, and maximising technology is a powerful way of achieving this. Our drone will be used primarily to support our anti-social behaviour taskforce AXIS, in gathering all important evidence to put offenders before the courts. For us, this is a cost-effective way of helping to catch criminals and supports similar technology we're already using in our vans and helicopter."

Deputy director, Stephen Cahill, said, "We are pleased to support Merseyside Police in their efforts to reduce crime through the use of new technology. This trial is the first of its kind in the country and we're excited about its potential."

The images recorded by these silent night-vision equipped "spy drones" cameras are sent back to a police support vehicle or control room.


This latest development is enlightening and terrifying. The 4.2 Million CCTV cameras and the new "talking" cameras obviously do not satisfactorily fulfill the Government's desire to monitor our every move. They have now turned to "spy planes" which they claim are in the interest of public safety. This is a horrifying window into the future of things to come, especially if Labour wins the next general election. If this level of government intrusion was occurring in another country such as Russia, it would be condemned.

With millions of CCTV cameras, spy planes, and the government's plan to profile people who MAY commit crimes the future of UK is beginning to look more like the movie the Minority Report than the country we know and love.

Government Plans to Profile "Potential" Criminals and Victims

Home Office plans reveal that council staff, charity workers and doctors among others will be obligated to inform police of any person they believe MAY commit a violent crime.

The leaked Home Office document states, "Public bodies will have access to valuable information about people at risk of becoming either perpetrators or victims of serious violence. Professionals will obviously alert police or other relevant authority if they have good reason to believe an act of serious violence is about to be committed. However, our proposal goes beyond that, and is that, when they become sufficiently concerned about an individual, they must consider initial risk assessment of risk to/from that person and refer (the) case to (a) multi-agency body."

Under the plan two agencies would be formed, one for potential criminals, and the other for potential victims. The plan suggests that these bodies could share information received and carry out "full risk assessments".

Danger signs of potential criminals could include a violent family background, heavy drinking or mental health problems, while potential victims may seek treatment for stress from their GP.

If this plan succeeds children who, through no fault of their own, have been raised in a violent family could be profiled as potential criminals. Millions of people who have grown up in adverse conditions as well as those who have mild mental health problems function successfully in society without EVER committing a crime. Further to that, if someone seeks counseling for stress it does not necessarily mean they are a potential victim of a crime. If this is allowed to continued both assumptions being made by the government could be self-fulfilling. A person who is not a criminal but, because of his background, is treated as such may as a result become a criminal. This government is going too far. If you have not watched the movie Minority Report, go rent it. It is not the best movie but, although fictional and far-fetched, it shows an exaggerated version the results of profiling "potential" criminals.

Big Brother Strikes Again - Talking CCTV Cameras Scheme Expanded

If you live in Middlesbrough I sympathize as I'm sure you know all about these "talking" CCTV Cameras. I have never had the pleasure of coming into contact with one. In fact, the whole idea repulses me. The Government is taking big brother to an entirely new level. "Talking" CCTV cameras that tell off people for littering or committing anti-social behaviour are to be installed in 20 areas across England. Apparently, these cameras are controlled by the control centre staff who watch then use a loudspeaker to tell anyone misbehaving to stop. Apart from being absurd and an unnecessary expense which Britain can ill afford, is this really the way forward? I have almost come to accept the nearly 4.2 million CCTV cameras watching nearly every move we make as a necessary evil. They did help us find several terrorists. This however, is going too far. Britain will feel more like a regime then a democratic country. The prospect of the future the way this government wants it is horrifying. Faceless cameras from above barking orders at us? ID Cards? Eye Scans at airports? I'm scared, are you?