Britain sets the lead in public CCTV surveillance, reports the International Herald Tribune. After last month's failed terror attacks in London and Glasgow, the 7/7 London suicide bombings and another botched plot on the British capital's trains and buses in 2005, authorities zeroed in on suspected terror rings with lightning speed.The nation's vast web of surveillance cameras is credited with playing a crucial role. Now, to the alarm of some privacy advocates, Europe and the United States are starting to follow Britain's lead.
Dutch cities and towns are increasingly monitored. French President Nicolas Sarkozy says he is contemplating a "vast plan" to install more cameras on public transport. In New York, officials have announced plans to outfit hundreds of Manhattan buses with cameras and to add 1,000 others and 3,000 motion sensors to subways and commuter rail facilities.
Britain has about 4 million closed-circuit security cameras. Police say the average Briton is on as many as 300 cameras every day.
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