Why Half A Million Cameras Could Not Prevent The London Bombings?

London is possibly one of the most surveyed cities in the world. Despite half a million cameras and one of the most elaborate surveillance systems of any city at that time, authorities were still unable to prevent one of the worst acts of terror in British history. the London Bombings. The challenge for future surveillance is finding people before they commit crimes. A task no simple camera can achieve.

Have you ever heard the expression 'We are all being watched'. The first word that use to come to mind when I heard someone say something like that was 'paranoia'. It seems ever since the tragedy of 911 and other terrorist attacks such as the Bali bombings of 2002 and the London Bombings of 2005, surveillance is at the back of everyone's mind. Technology however does exist which enables those who are looking to follow electronic trails that reveal who we are and where we have been.

There are approximately four million surveillance cameras stretched throughout the United Kingdom and about half a million keep watch over the capital of Great Britain, London. A ring of cameras surround the center of London and there are mechanical eyes watching from every corner. The average Londoner is filmed by over 300 cameras during the course of their day. It is fair to say that London is probably the most heavily surveyed city in the world.

If you are in London then the director of the Westminster Command Centre can follow every move you make. If you leave your house in the morning, walk down a pedestrian street, go into a store, catch some form of public transport anywhere within the city, you are probably going to be captured at some stage on some form of closed circuit television or CCTV.

If you are a victim of crime then you will probably love CCTV. If you are a criminal then you may feel as if this new technology is cramping your style and not be as impressed. CCTV has already proved its value as a way to combat crime. However, there are two critical limits to closed circuit surveillance.
1. You have to know who you are looking for
2. You have to have a human watching every screen every minute of every day.

Let us visit the time of the London bombings. On Wednesday morning 7th July 2005, three million commuters go about their daily routine of packing into London cabs, buses and trains. CCTV operators keep an eye open for any suspicious behavior. Wearing backpacks full of explosives, four men leave their car outside of the city to avoid the ring of traffic cameras and catch the train to the center. They are caught on camera but to the authorities they look like ordinary commuters.

At 0850 hours a series of suicide explosions rip through three subway trains within minutes of each other. Less than an hour later the top floor of a bus explodes. Fifty two people are killed and seven hundred are seriously injured in one of the worst acts of terror in British history.

The most elaborate surveillance system of any city in the world was still unable to prevent the attack. In the case of the bombers, Scotland Yard were looking for four individuals and tiny clues among thousands of hours of footage. The cameras captured the suspects nine days before the bombing gathering at Luton Station, Kings Cross station, all coming together, all going their separate ways confirming that they were all part of the same unit. Any observer would hardly have given them a second thought. To make matters more difficult the images were of poor quality and shot from strange angles.

The challenge for future surveillance is finding people before they commit crimes. It is not just about finding a face in the crowd but being able to identify one person anywhere on the globe. This is obviously a task no simple camera can achieve.

Stephen has been writing articles for nearly 3 years. Come visit his latest website over at Interior Design Ideas. People will also find valuable information on Interior Design Software and Interior Design Bedroom Furniture.