Britain is to have a national network of cameras and computers
that automatically log and track car license plates, in a move
described as "secretive and unregulated" by privacy
advocates.
The system will be operational within months,
according to the BBC.
"Police forces across England, Wales and
Scotland will soon be able to share the information on one central
computer." the report states.
Local councils all over the country are queuing
up to connect their existing CCTV cameras to the national system.
Any camera, if high enough resolution, can be adapted to work
with the new software.
Critics have pointed to incidents where "undesirables",
such as people who have taken part in anti-war rallies, have
already had their cars marked by police and added to a central
"hotlist".
Some have been stopped in their cars by anti-terror
police units and questioned under threat of arrest for no good
reason.
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"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." the BBC report states.
"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?" commented
Mr Catt, who regularly attends anti-war protests.
Police have refused to acknowledge the case and will not reveal
details of the number and positions of license plate cameras,
citing "operational reasons".
Britain is to have a national network of cameras and computers
that automatically log and track car license plates, in a move
described as "secretive and unregulated" by privacy
advocates.
