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October 21st, 2008, 12:47 AM
Paris police defend plan for more surveillance cameras
Original article: www.ejpress.org/article/31274
69Updated: 20/Oct/2008
PARIS (AFP)---French police sought Monday to reassure Parisians that a plan to put more than 1,200 video cameras on the capital's streets was not going to lead to Big Brother-type surveillance.
Paris police chief Michel Gaudin rejected comparisons with London where more than 400,000 cameras keep watch over parking lots, public gathering places and shopping malls.
"This is not going to be telescopic," said Gaudin after presenting his plan to Paris city council. "We are not going to be putting cameras everywhere."
"There are hundreds of thousands of cameras in London and we don't have the same objective at all. We are looking at a much more modest outfit that is easier to operate."
Dubbed "One Thousand Cameras for Paris", the plan calls for a fivefold increase in the number of police cameras from about 200 currently to 1,266, to be set up in every district of the capital.
While crime is down in Paris, police say fewer than 40 percent of offences committed in the capital are solved and that video footage could help them improve their track record.
Already, police use of the surveillance systems set up by Paris metro and transport authorities have led to arrests of delinquents.
Five suspects were nabbed following the beating of three Jewish boys in the northeastern 19th district of Paris after they were caught on video in metro stations near the scene of the crime.
Police chief Gaudin said the cameras will also allow firefighters and emergency services to respond more quickly to accidents.
But in France, where privacy rights enjoy strong protection, city authorities are going to some lengths to address concerns that Parisians will be under constant watch.
The "video protection" plan has run into opposition from Green city councillors who say Parisians will be made to feel as if they are living in a police state.
"This is not the way to restore the social fabric of the city," said Danielle Fournier, a leading Green council member.
Debate over the Paris police cameras follows a public outcry last month over a new national police database aimed at gathering information on suspects as young as 13.
President Nicolas Sarkozy was forced to order a review of the database after civil rights groups launched court proceedings to challenge the legality of the measure.
Despite the uneasiness, Socialist Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has given his backing for more cameras, saying Monday that "everybody knows that video protection is only an extra tool" to help police and emergency services.
Many of the cameras will be installed in the poorer multi-ethnic east side of the city to keep watch over main streets and known hang-outs for delinquents.
Each district will be getting between 25 and 93 cameras, with the 18th arrondissement -- a multi-ethnic area in the north -- getting the most, the result of months of consultations with local police in every part of the city.
Parisians will have their say during public hearings planned in each district to discuss the proposed locations for the cameras that will be clearly marked for residents and visitors.
An ethics committee will be set up to oversee the security plan, with the first cameras expected to be installed in 2010.
City officials are planning to set up a public-private partnership to help generate the 65 to 80 million euros (80 to 106 million dollars) needed for the plan.
Original article: www.ejpress.org/article/31274
69Updated: 20/Oct/2008
PARIS (AFP)---French police sought Monday to reassure Parisians that a plan to put more than 1,200 video cameras on the capital's streets was not going to lead to Big Brother-type surveillance.
Paris police chief Michel Gaudin rejected comparisons with London where more than 400,000 cameras keep watch over parking lots, public gathering places and shopping malls.
"This is not going to be telescopic," said Gaudin after presenting his plan to Paris city council. "We are not going to be putting cameras everywhere."
"There are hundreds of thousands of cameras in London and we don't have the same objective at all. We are looking at a much more modest outfit that is easier to operate."
Dubbed "One Thousand Cameras for Paris", the plan calls for a fivefold increase in the number of police cameras from about 200 currently to 1,266, to be set up in every district of the capital.
While crime is down in Paris, police say fewer than 40 percent of offences committed in the capital are solved and that video footage could help them improve their track record.
Already, police use of the surveillance systems set up by Paris metro and transport authorities have led to arrests of delinquents.
Five suspects were nabbed following the beating of three Jewish boys in the northeastern 19th district of Paris after they were caught on video in metro stations near the scene of the crime.
Police chief Gaudin said the cameras will also allow firefighters and emergency services to respond more quickly to accidents.
But in France, where privacy rights enjoy strong protection, city authorities are going to some lengths to address concerns that Parisians will be under constant watch.
The "video protection" plan has run into opposition from Green city councillors who say Parisians will be made to feel as if they are living in a police state.
"This is not the way to restore the social fabric of the city," said Danielle Fournier, a leading Green council member.
Debate over the Paris police cameras follows a public outcry last month over a new national police database aimed at gathering information on suspects as young as 13.
President Nicolas Sarkozy was forced to order a review of the database after civil rights groups launched court proceedings to challenge the legality of the measure.
Despite the uneasiness, Socialist Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has given his backing for more cameras, saying Monday that "everybody knows that video protection is only an extra tool" to help police and emergency services.
Many of the cameras will be installed in the poorer multi-ethnic east side of the city to keep watch over main streets and known hang-outs for delinquents.
Each district will be getting between 25 and 93 cameras, with the 18th arrondissement -- a multi-ethnic area in the north -- getting the most, the result of months of consultations with local police in every part of the city.
Parisians will have their say during public hearings planned in each district to discuss the proposed locations for the cameras that will be clearly marked for residents and visitors.
An ethics committee will be set up to oversee the security plan, with the first cameras expected to be installed in 2010.
City officials are planning to set up a public-private partnership to help generate the 65 to 80 million euros (80 to 106 million dollars) needed for the plan.