Video surveillance in the northwest: does it bring more security or not?

Video surveillance in the northwest: does it bring more security or not?

Delmenhorst, Deutschland - In northwestern Germany, the topic of video surveillance in public spaces has been causing lively discussions for some time. The demand for more cameras to increase security often becomes loud to prevent crimes and to clarify them if necessary. While the FDP in Delmenhorst is aiming for an expansion of video surveillance in the city center, the CDU in Oldenburg presented the proposal in the view of the lens two years ago. But how effective is this measure actually?

Video surveillance is implemented in various cities in the northwest. In Delmenhorst we find cameras at the train station while the city of Emden has set up surveillance on the "Neuer Markt". Oldenburg has also not spared to install cameras on important crossings such as the Lange Strasse/Heiligengeistwall. These measures were not only taken by public bodies; Many private companies also rely on video surveillance, for example in public transport.

The role of the cameras in the security of danger

In Emden, video surveillance is considered an important preventive measure. The Leer/Emden police inspection explains that the cameras serve to recognize potential dangers at an early stage. In the event of incidents such as physical clashes, the officials can quickly intervene by storing the corresponding recordings. The automated storage is particularly risky at risk, for example on weekends during the night.

The situation is similar in Delmenhorst. If an assignment is necessary due to a physical argument, the police at the train station can immediately look at the events on a monitor and use the pictures to decide whether and how they have to react. Ideally, worse can be prevented before a conflict escalates.

clarification of crimes and preventive effects

In Oldenburg, the focus of the cameras is more on the clarification of crimes that have already been committed. These recordings are documented around the clock, but the evaluation is only carried out as required. A police spokeswoman announced that 289 crimes were already recorded in the recorded area in the current year, including bodily harm and pickpocketing. However, it remains unconfirmed that serious crimes, such as sexual abuse, can occur, since the police would not have wanted to provide detailed information about specific incidents.

A special ray of hope are enlightenment success during urban events. At a city festival in Oldenburg, for example, three cases of sexual harassment could be clarified in good time by evaluating video recordings.

The assessment that video surveillance contributes not only for the clarification but also to prevent crimes is shared by the police stations. Nevertheless, there is concern that some crimes are only shifted to other places. This is particularly the case with offenses such as drug trafficking, as a spokeswoman for the Delmenhorst/Oldenburg-Land/Wesermarsch police explained.

If recordings are no longer required, an automatic overwriting is usually carried out after a few days. In cases where it is about the investigation of crimes, however, the evidence can be saved longer. Such regulations are necessary to ensure the integrity of police work.

The arguments for more video surveillance are diverse, but they are also in a area of ​​tension between security and fundamental rights. A spokesman for the Lower Saxony data protection officer emphasizes the need for strict data protection regulations in order to protect the personal rights of the citizens. In particular by technologies such as automatic face recognition, there are additional challenges in the area of ​​data protection, which is why monitoring measures are warned of lax.

The introduction and the benefits of video surveillance in the cities should therefore always be evaluated in the context of the respective crime situation in order to avoid abuse and interventions in privacy. Ultimately, it remains to be seen how the discussion will develop and which new measures will be discussed at the political level in order to guarantee the citizens both security and to protect their fundamental rights. Further information can be found in an article from Lokal26.de.