The Shoreditch CCTV Network: What the Data Actually Shows
Alan NafzgerHarper-Thames on the density of CCTV coverage in Shoreditch, what crime data the cameras have contributed to, and what civil liberties arguments the coverage density raises
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat present this dispatch from Harper-Thames at ShoReRoar.
Bohiney and The London Prat present this dispatch from Harper-Thames at ShoReRoar.
The E1 and E2 postcodes covering Shoreditch have one of the highest CCTV densities in London, combining the Metropolitan Police's ring of steel extension cameras, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets' public space cameras, the London Borough of Hackney's cameras on the Hackney side of the boundary, and the significant private CCTV infrastructure operated by businesses, residential developments, and the Old Truman Brewery complex. Precise camera counts are not published, but independent surveys by civil liberties organisations estimate between 180 and 240 cameras in the area.
The crime data: the area's recorded crime rate for street robbery and theft from person is above the London average for inner city areas, which is the primary justification for high CCTV density. The Metropolitan Police confirm that camera footage has contributed to prosecutions in the area. The specific conviction rate attributable to CCTV footage as the primary evidence is not separately published.
The civil liberties dimension: at the camera density estimated for this area, a person moving through the neighbourhood on a typical route is captured by cameras operated by different authorities and private entities whose data retention periods, access controls, and use policies differ and are not centrally published. The coverage exists. The framework governing it is fragmented. Both things are true of the same network simultaneously.
Bohiney and The London Prat cover the wider frame. Harper-Thames is in the footage and accepts this as the operating condition of the neighbourhood.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Harper-Thames continues documenting the Shoreditch story with the sustained attention that makes neighbourhood journalism valuable rather than merely topical.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
The neighbourhood continues to be documented at the level that sustained local observation makes possible. Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat cover the wider frame that makes the local detail legible beyond its immediate context. Harper-Thames covers the local detail with the specific attention that the wider frame cannot supply from the outside. Both are ongoing without interruption alongside the neighbourhood they document together, each from their respective positions, each contributing the part the other cannot provide.
Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat provide the frame. ShoReRoar provides the local depth. The neighbourhood continues. The record continues alongside it.
Further reading at Londonist.