hedgehog

The following is the transcript of a question and answer a Commons Select Committee. They were discussing speed cameras but those of you who think there is no harm or who think that maybe getting one conviction from them might not be such a bad thing would do well to read this and consider the implications:

Q608 Chairman: Mr Gooding, is this something new on speed cameras?
Mr Gooding:
Specifically, we are aware that some chief constables do have teams specifically going back through the records of people who have been caught on speed cameras, working on the principle that people who disregard one law tend to disregard several., and they then would pursue those in the sort of intelligent way you are suggesting to see what other offences they might be associated with

Lest you fail to see the implications of this what they are saying it is that in some areas police assume that those convicted by a speed camera are also deemed likely to have committed other offences. Police then embark upon a detailed investigation to see if they can pin any additional crimes on the motorist. I don't imagine the offer a similar "service" to those convicted of murder, car theft etc.

r32

Unreal, absolutely unreal .........................
Police state or what, and it will only get worse. Surely those who get caught on cameras and get away with it becuase they dont have the car registered in their name, taxed or insured etc etc are the ones they want.

It is the 'generaly law abiding motorist' who gets done, and that from a friend in the Bill.

hedgehog

What is even more unreal is that there is no accountability or democratic process involved here, this is something that "some chief constables do."

I assume they figure that anyone willing to sign their rights away on an NIP might also be willing to sign up to a range of other crimes.

Leslie

The whole business is getting to be a real worry. That example is frightening. When you think of all the other "ideas" such as traffic cameras all over the country, identity cards with so much personal information on their way, intrusive and unnecessary questions on the census forms, and the proposal for a complete data bank of DNA information, and for GPS monitors in our cars, one wonders how long it will be before we have monitors in everyone's home! Whether I had anything to hide or not, that really is too much personal information to be stored on us all.

unclebuck

Stalinist Police State anybody?

It's happening, and it's happening now. If we don't get shot of this Government the future is bleak indeed for the indiginous people of this country.

UB

Buzzer

I read an article last year in the states which, went quite in depth on the legalities of DNA profiling every newborn baby. It stated that the FBI would hold all DNA data banks and only they could access it to solve / prevent serious crime.

Although it wouldn't reap rewards immediately, it would have major benefits post 15 - 20 years on. It went on to question the human rights issue of such a move and to whether criminals could quite easily collect random blood/ hair / DNA from any passer by without them noticing and use it to disguise their own crime. The final conclusion from the writer said that he questioned whether it was already being done in some trial states but no proof had been found.

He recalled a case some time ago about a rape and murder victim who had "body fluids" found on her. The police took samples and tracked it to a person 30 miles away. The defense wanted to know how they matched the DNA with the totally un connected defendant, they were unable to explain this until another "expert" witness stepped forward to say it was matched in a data bank from a car accident some years earlier.

To cut a long story short, it turned out that the wife of the defendant collected the bodily fluids from her husband, passed it to a "hit man" to pour on a poor unsuspecting victim. She wanted her husband to be sent down as a rapist as murdering him would of been too good.

Scary eh!