Tue, 28 Nov 2006
The End of Violence by Wim Wenders, released in 1997 depicts a city (Los Angeles) under secret surveillance from a network of cameras. When this surveillance system detects that a crime will be committed, the suspect is automatically shot. It's the end of violence as we know it.
And now for something completely different, some of this week's news:
- Police and councils are considering monitoring conversations in the street using high-powered microphones attached to CCTV cameras [...] The microphones can detect conversations 100 yards away and record aggressive exchanges before they become violent.
- Criminal profilers are drawing up a list of the 100 most dangerous murderers and rapists of the future even before they commit such crimes, The Times has learnt. The highly controversial database will be used by police and other agencies to target suspects before they can carry out a serious offence. Pilot projects to identify the highest-risk future offenders have been operating in five London boroughs for the past two months.
More on what's happening in the UK.