Search A Light In The Darkness

Wednesday 18 July 2007

Tiff Over Anti-Terror Road Cameras

Daily Express Headline, says:
Questions are due to be raised about Government plans to allow police to track terror suspects using London's congestion charge cameras, after Whitehall officials accidentally let slip details of a Cabinet-level tiff over the scheme.

Internal documents mistakenly released by the Home Office revealed that former Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander had resisted the counter-terror measure for fear that it would offer ammunition to opponents of his plans for road-pricing.

As the plans were being drawn up, Mr Alexander was reeling from the impact of a 1.8 million-signature petition on the 10 Downing Street website condemning proposals for a nationwide network of cameras to charge motorists according to when and where they drive.Home Office minister Tony McNulty used a low-key written statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday to announce plans to allow police in London to view pictures in "real time" from Transport for London's 1,500 cameras around the capital, which use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to link cars with owners' details.

Mr McNulty said that the step was being taken because of the "enduring threat" of car bombs. Police officers had previously had to apply for access to the cameras on a case-by-case basis because of concerns that routine use of the information would be an invasion of privacy.