4 ms·

There’s London too, totally dystopian.

vidarh 2y ago
Most cameras in the UK are private, rarely working well, and usually not networked or easily accessible to the police. It could be better, but the idea of the UK as a surveillance state is seriously overblown outside of maybe a handful of streets.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- phantompeace 2y ago
  Don’t forget ANPRs that can track your vehicle all around the country. Doesn’t even have to cross paths with a police car - they’re at most major junctions and all over the motorway
  - fennecbutt 2y ago
    Good. But still doesn't stop the absolute fkwits doing 110mph around the m25 every day; how they get away with it I have no idea.
    - 1attice 2y ago
      Because you can't boil a frog by starting at 100°C. You introduce the surveillance as a way of mitigating extreme, rare occurrences, like terrorism. You gradually make it common to use when solving major crimes, like murders. Only then do you start tracking down traffic infractions. Doctorow calls this the 'Shitty Technology Adoption Curve' https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/21/great-taylors-ghost/ https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/21/great-taylors-ghost/
fennecbutt 2y ago
Not really. I got mugged quite close to a tube station in relatively central London and no CCTV footage, so all the cameras are useless. I was on a jury for a court case where: the incident was caught by a bus camera, but the police waited 6 months to ask for footage, footage is deleted after 1 month and they know this. The shop across the road captured the incident on CCTV but the cop had "tech problems" trying to transfer the video file to his laptop - even then they didn't even bother to sign a document stating what they saw in the video. CCTV and cops (at least in and around London) are just totally useless. And the gov is useless too, "fighting" crime rather than addressing what causes crimes. Otherwise, it's not too bad a place to live for a travelling Kiwi, great launchpad into Europe, oh wait they fucked that up with Brexit, too.
- pixxel 2y ago
  > great launchpad into Europe So pick another country or just fill-in the required paperwork. Wetwipe.
  - 1attice 2y ago
    Commonwealth countries in general (I'm in Canada) had a convenient pathway into Europe by way of EU-era UK. I've lived in several countries at this point, and no, it's not just an administrative task of completing paperwork. Immigration is hard. Do it wrong, and you might find yourself in Rwanda, for example. And maybe don't call people 'wetwipes' on HN? If you want to hurl insults, well: All the web is yours, except HN. Attempt no landing there.
- w1nst0nsm1th 2y ago
  >..., great launchpad into Rwanda. Corrected for you.
- soundnote 2y ago
  London police are pretty much pro dysfunction at this point.
ted_bunny 2y ago
Partly just a product of its street layout. They need a lot more cameras to get the same amount of coverage that a grid-based city would need, since vantage is so poor.

Most cameras in the UK are private, rarely working well, and usually not networked or easily accessible to the police. It could be better, but the idea of the UK as a surveillance state is seriously overblown outside of maybe a handful of streets.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
phantompeace 2y ago
Don’t forget ANPRs that can track your vehicle all around the country. Doesn’t even have to cross paths with a police car - they’re at most major junctions and all over the motorway
- fennecbutt 2y ago
  Good. But still doesn't stop the absolute fkwits doing 110mph around the m25 every day; how they get away with it I have no idea.
  - 1attice 2y ago
    Because you can't boil a frog by starting at 100°C. You introduce the surveillance as a way of mitigating extreme, rare occurrences, like terrorism. You gradually make it common to use when solving major crimes, like murders. Only then do you start tracking down traffic infractions. Doctorow calls this the 'Shitty Technology Adoption Curve' https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/21/great-taylors-ghost/ https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/21/great-taylors-ghost/

fennecbutt 2y ago

Not really. I got mugged quite close to a tube station in relatively central London and no CCTV footage, so all the cameras are useless. I was on a jury for a court case where: the incident was caught by a bus camera, but the police waited 6 months to ask for footage, footage is deleted after 1 month and they know this. The shop across the road captured the incident on CCTV but the cop had "tech problems" trying to transfer the video file to his laptop - even then they didn't even bother to sign a document stating what they saw in the video. CCTV and cops (at least in and around London) are just totally useless. And the gov is useless too, "fighting" crime rather than addressing what causes crimes. Otherwise, it's not too bad a place to live for a travelling Kiwi, great launchpad into Europe, oh wait they fucked that up with Brexit, too.

pixxel 2y ago
> great launchpad into Europe So pick another country or just fill-in the required paperwork. Wetwipe.
- 1attice 2y ago
  Commonwealth countries in general (I'm in Canada) had a convenient pathway into Europe by way of EU-era UK. I've lived in several countries at this point, and no, it's not just an administrative task of completing paperwork. Immigration is hard. Do it wrong, and you might find yourself in Rwanda, for example. And maybe don't call people 'wetwipes' on HN? If you want to hurl insults, well: All the web is yours, except HN. Attempt no landing there.
w1nst0nsm1th 2y ago
>..., great launchpad into Rwanda. Corrected for you.
soundnote 2y ago
London police are pretty much pro dysfunction at this point.

ted_bunny 2y ago

Partly just a product of its street layout. They need a lot more cameras to get the same amount of coverage that a grid-based city would need, since vantage is so poor.