Burglar Alarms and CCTV – Big Brother Culture

Britain is the most watched country in Europe, with CCTV dotted on every street corner. Burglar alarms and surveillance cameras are commonplace to help the fight against crime. And privacy watchdogs only foresee the climate of surveillance increasing.

Burglar Alarms – Fighting Crime

The proliferation of burglar alarms and CCTV certainly helps catch criminals and monitor anti-social behaviour, but in the UK we are the most watched people in Europe. Although anti-crime equipment such as hi-tech burglar alarms is necessary for homes and businesses, there's a fear that surveillance has been taken a step too far in consumer culture. Supermarkets now track our shopping habits and make suggestions from previous purchases when we shop online with the same credit card. It's estimated that electronic tags could be commonly embedded in purchases in the future to create a purchasing profile in order to predict what products we'll buy.

Getting the balance

So where's the right balance? Surveillance and burglar alarms are central in the fight against crime and keeping the public safe. But pervasive surveillance in commerce is considered by many to be a sinister intrusion into our privacy. Already speed cameras monitor our car journeys, but CCTV could increase further if pay-as-you-drive regulations are introduced to help reduce traffic congestion.

More than just burglar alarms

Although many of us can see the benefits of burglar alarms, increased surveillance can create an atmosphere of suspicion, especially with the terrorist threat. The privacy debate will no doubt continue to hot up. Burglar alarms seem innocent compared to the security measures that could happen in the future, including:

	Biometric testing to screen people for employment
	Identity cards for adults and children that can store everything from dental records to how healthy children eat by monitoring their school dinners
	Internet use – tracking people's moves online to create a consumer profile companies can target

Big Brother Culture

Although surveillance and crime is vital for the nation's safety, some believe the move away from simple burglar alarms is a step too far. It's hard to avoid opinion pieces analysing the increasing Big Brother society we live in. Now it isn't just burglar alarms that stop crime, chips with tracking systems embedded in products have already helped stop shoplifters.

A COP Alarm can provide 24 hour protection for your residence or business with the emergency services on hand to respond in the event of any incident. We are focused on helping you to feel safe in your environment so that you have complete peace of mind. Established in 1994, with expertise in the IT industry and security trade,we specialise in high-end security solutions. For state of the art technology, including burglar alarms, our systems comply with British and European standards and offer a top level service at highly competitive prices. To find out how we can help you, telephone 0800 118 5 999 or Email: info@copalarms.co.uk. You can also contact us here here by filling out our online enquiry form.