“The recorded material is erased after two months and the police have set up barriers so that it is not allowed to look into apartment houses or public buildings. Only some police officers are allowed to follow that cameras film in real time.” (D. Lennartsson. 2018)
CCTV surveillance as an intervention against crime derives from the ideas of Bentham’s Panopticon, an ethically controversial solution to social problems (T. McMullan. 2016).The CCTV of today is a chain of controlling eye-balls often placed high up on facades, impossible to break by throwing stones, impossible to reach. They are managed by the Police and how they are used follows swedish laws and regulations for data protection.
CCTV is an infrastructure if tools for society to maintain social order, and to improve and develop the methods used by the Police. When CCTV is used in the public space within a housing area it affects the population. Many feel safer, others feel disturbed. Research show that it makes drug sellers change place for business and even though this does not stop crime, it helps by causing disturbances. This is important as neighborhood becomes “criminalized” when crime is not stopped. People get affectedas they witness crime and criminal residents, no matter they are few, threatens neighbors and families. This makes things worse, as people then do not dare to speak to the Police or report crime because of fear of punishment (Nationella operativa avdelningen Underrättelseenheten. 2017.).
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