Talking Cameras Are Just the Start
John Willman
Now the cameras are to be fitted with loudspeakers, so that monitors in the control centres can bark instructions to vandals and litter louts to stop their antisocial behaviour.
The technology has been tested in Middlesbrough, an industrial town in the north of England whose mayor acquired the nickname "Robocop" for his zero-tolerance policies as police chief.
Talking CCTV is said to have a 100 per cent success rate in tackling littering offences and can deal with two-thirds of public order offences such as drunkenness and fighting. Among the 69 incidents recorded in one month was: "Male seen carrying traffic cone through town - warned to return cone to roadworks - male complies and waves."
Control centre policy is to say "Thank you" over the loudspeaker, which shows a welcome return to earlier traditions of politesse.
When Middlesbrough pioneers, the world follows. The UK government is funding an extension of chatty cameras to 20 other English towns and cities. There is also interest from foreign parts, with media attention from the US, Canada, Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Greece andJapan.
This technology is too good to waste on yobs and mooners in shopping centres, however. It could improve our lives in so many other ways. A camera on the fridge connected to a control room, for example, could tackle obesity. "Haven't you eaten enough of that creamy sweet?" it could admonish the midnight snacker. In Nanny's absence, it could remind the owner that he or she had not yet eaten the required five daily portions of fruit and veg.
The drinks cabinet could become a guardian of sobriety, telling topers when they have had the recommended maximum number of units. Other helpful announcements could include "Don't mix beer with wine" and "Are you old enough to be drinking that?"
Shop facias could greet customers and tell them about new products or special offers they might fancy - in much the same way as do the talking advertisements in Steven Spielberg's film Minority Report.
Productivity would be raised at work. Talking cameras could keep staff on their toes with motivating instructions such as "Stop surfing the net for holiday bargains" or "There is another 10 minutes until work ends". "Stand away from the cash box, ma'am" would deter fraud.
Middlesbrough has seen the future and it works. Now we need Big Brother to fulfil its potential.
The writer is the FT's UK business editor