مقالات انگلیسی

CCTV is the abbreviation for Closed Circuit Television. It is a visual surveillance technology system designed to monitor the desired surrounding environment and its activities. In recent years, the role of CCTV has grown to unprecedented levels. Originally used to deter crime and 'anti-social behavior' such as minor offenses like littering, urinating in public and etc, CCTV now plays a more important role, assisting the police and security organizations in their investigations. Britain is currently the leading nation in implementing CCTV, most British towns and cities are moving to CCTV surveillance in public areas, housing estates, car parks and public facilities. Other countries are quickly following. North America, Australia and some European countries are installing the cameras in urban environments which a few years ago would most likely have rejected the technology In Singapore, an extensive round-the-clock CCTV surveillance system covers majority of the highways and roads island wide, providing 24 hours visual surveillance on traffic situations. With the system, authorities are able to response faster to traffic situations. In recent years, there is a vast increase in demand for CCTV applications. Thousands of cameras are installed island wide. They can be found in various places such as shopping malls, boutiques, bus terminals, MRT stations, underpasses, Automatic Teller Machines ATM, sensitive government buildings, private estates and even extending its application to red-light districts, in an attempt to monitor and deter illegal activities. CCTV is fast becoming an integral plan for crime control policies and social behaviour control theory in an effort to maintain ethnical public behaviour and public order. It has become an icon for security and its presence is guaranteed to generate a sense of security and welcomed by many.

CCTV acts as deterrence rather than prevention to crime. CCTV deters 'opportunistic' crime, where people take advantage of a situation on the spur of the moment. The cameras are also creating a vastly increased rate of conviction after crimes are detected. Virtually everyone caught committing an offense on camera pleads guilty nowadays. Once people know they have been videotaped, they admit the offense immediately.