There’s been a bit of a stir here in the lower mainland over the surveillance cameras that were installed last week, and will be turned on Feb. 1 for the Olympic and Paralympic games. Just under 1000 cameras according to this article from the CBC. All the talk now is about if the cameras will stay after the games, which end March 28th.
Although according to this, thousands of unnamed, private cameras are already pointed at the downtown core.
When I first moved to England it was a bit of an adjustment getting used to the country’s 4.2 million cameras. I recall having one right on the outside bank of my flat, but after a while you forget about it, and it gave me a little bit of a sense of security, however false it may have been. As reports have shown in the UK that the presence of cameras in certain areas only pushes the crime to areas where cameras are not, and that they do not so much prevent crime, but tell the facts after. Of course one could argue this still helps in the overall process.
I’m really on the fence here; I can see the arguments for and against.
What do you think?
flying buttresses 
Those cameras always make me think of Banksy now.
I think security at the Olympics is a good thing, wish they had done the same in Beijing. Of course they will stay on after the Olympics, I mean the government wouldn’t just spend money on something and then never use it, right? :)
Yes, one nation under CCTV. ;)
I’m all for the extra security during the Olympics, and I think that is where the majority of cameras will be situated – at the events. I believe only 100 or so will be pointed towards the downtown core.
Ha. Very true. And considering we don’t have an active parliament at the moment, they may very well go away.