Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Dr. C. William. R. Webster, Senior
Lecturer in Public Management, Chair, Living in Surveillance Societies (LiSS)
COST Action, Stirling Management School, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9
4LA, UK. Tel.: +44 1786 467359; Fax: +44 1786 467329; E-mail:
c.w.r.webster@stir.ac.uk. URL: http://www.management.stir.ac.uk/
Abstract: This article critically examines developments in CCTV (Closed
Circuit Television) policy and provision in the UK, with specific reference to
the 'evidence-based' approach to policy-making and service provision. The main
features of the CCTV revolution are examined from a policy perspective, so that
intertwined changes in purpose and technological configuration are illuminated.
The underlying premise of evidence-based policy is that a robust and reliable
evidence-base exists and that this body of knowledge is used rationally to
inform changes in policy and practice. However, in the case of CCTV, there are
a range of issues associated with the evidence-base which seem to contradict
the logic of continued CCTV provision. In this article, these issues are
explored through what are called five CCTV 'fallacies'. These fallacies raise
important questions, not just about the ongoing provision of CCTV, but the
nature of modern policy innovation and policy-making procedures.
