In This Day and Age?

Did you know that each one of us in Britain is on average caught on CCTV at least 70 times a day? And did you know that as long ago as 2006 there was over 1 CCTV camera for every 14 people in Britain - well above the average for any developed country in the world?

Shocking to know in some respects. All the more shocking is that people still commit crimes despite the presence of so many cameras. Perhaps not very many of these cameras are actually looking for serious crime - many are looking for petty offenders like people over staying at a car park or for what we are putting in our bins (I kid you not).

Why do I mention this? Well, it is alleged in a village not far from us there has been two instances of a single grey car attempting to snatch a young child. In both instances the target was a young girl but from descriptions it appears to be the same car. If there are so many cameras about it is a wonder that these people try to commit such crimes, knowing that their number plate can not only be filmed but recognised too and matched against databases.

It sends a shudder down the spine of any parent, no matter what age. The overwhelming urge to protect a child and ensure it suffers no hardship at the hands of evil people comes to the fore at such times and it makes you wonder just what you would do if someone attempted to abduct your own child.

Topically, I see that a book by Kate McCann is available and is being serialised in one of the dailies. I have lost track as to when Kate and Gerry's daughter, Madeleine, was allegedly abducted in Portugal but again this brings back evocative memories of a very disturbing time - and it felt terrible even though we had yet to become parents.

But what was equally disturbing was the McCann's apparent demeanour and specifically the rather odd and indifferent behaviour by the mother, Kate. I read a very interesting Sunday Times article at the time written by a psychologist and it explained that the reason why so many people seemed to distrust her version of events on that fateful night as she and her husband revelled at a nearby restaurant was because she seemed so unmotherly, pristinely turned out and calm. More recently, the full series of questions that were put to her when she was designated as an 'arguedo' or suspect in Portugal, were published and she chose to answer only one of all the questions, most of which were really quite straightforward and pertinent to little Madeleine's disappearance. That the family refused to go back to Portugal to re-enact the events of the night was more perplexing as experience has shown such reconstructions often serve to jog memories and create new leads.

I suppose the primal fear for my child in me rages against any would-be wrong doer. I cannot fathom what it would be like to lose our wee one but I am certain that I would not be out at my usual restaurants or playing tennis for a long while after.

I used to be against all these security cameras but if they save just a few lives, they get my vote.

Just turn them away from petty crime and focus on real crimes.


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