Scotland Yard surveillance chief says billions spent on CCTV failed to cut crime!

LONDON, England - May 6, 2008 - The billions of pounds spent covering Britain with CCTV cameras has been an "utter fiasco" and failed to slash crime, Scotland Yard's surveillance chief has said.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville said a Metropolitan Police pilot project found just three per cent of street robberies in London were solved using CCTV images.

He claimed the vast swathes of money spent on cameras had been wasted because criminals don't fear the cameras.

But Mr. Neville also castigated the police and claimed officers can't be bothered to seek out CCTV images because it's "hard work".

The comments from Mr. Neville, who is the head of the Visual Images, Identifications and Detections Office (VIIDO) at Scotland Yard, will further cast doubt on the spread of surveillance in Britain.