London 2006, Meet London 1984

Draape writes "Shoreditch TV is an experiment TV channel beaming live footage from the street into people's homes. According to the Telegraph U.K. television will broadcast from 400 surveillance cameras on the streets, into people's homes. For now they are only showing it to 22,000 homes, but next year they plan on going national with the 'show'. They fly under the flag 'fighting crime from the sofa'."

Bobby on the couch

[EmbeddedJanitor]

Considering how unarned bobbies struggle to catch a running crim, one wonders how a couch-bound lard-ass is going to do it from the wrong side of an ethernet connection.

If they did this in USA then they could rig up remote controlled guns or such and get a better crime resolution rate.

Ummm CRIME??

[consonant]

They haven't really mentioned in TFA what kind of crime they're targeting. I imagine they mean the snatching-old-ladies-handbags kind, but I suppose this could occur:

Haughty socialite: Hello Police? I just saw a crime being committed on the 1984 channel.

Operator: Yes ma'am. Please give us your location.

HS: 42 Anstoltue Street.

O: And what is the nature of the crime in question?

HS: This guy, he had sideburns.

O: Alright ma'am, but what's the crime?

HS: HE HAD SIDEBURNS I TELL YOU! IN 2006!

O:

Re:Bobby on the couch

[michaelmoran]

Excellent Idea!!! My wasted youth playing Duck Hunt wasn't for naught!!!

Re:Bobby on the couch

[macadamia_harold]

If they did this in USA then they could rig up remote controlled guns or such and get a better crime resolution rate.

What do you mean could rig up remote-controlled guns? [live-shot.com]

From the article

[Wellington Grey]

Jan Ashby, 57, a resident who previewed the scheme before yesterday's launch, said: "I wouldn't say it was spying, but it is nice to see what's going on. Look, there's my local pub."

She also added "I like to keep an eye on the pub to make sure that my husband does not go there. I'm not intruding on the little bit of a life that he has outside of me, I'm just looking out for his best interests."

-Grey [wellingtongrey.net]

Youtube!

[ettlz]

cool vid of some bloke getting mugged outside victoria station. lol!!!!111!! *****

Also interviewed

[Wellington Grey]

"Estella thinks I'm a nosey busybody," said Ms Havisham. A 97-year-old fan of the channel and who hasn't left the house in years. "But I've seen her walking on the street holding hands with a boy, and I'm not about to take advice from a whore."

-Grey [wellingtongrey.net]

Re:It's not 1984 if everyone can watch everyone

[datafr0g]

If I do something stupid and 8 people see, I might shrug it off. If I do something stupid and 80 people see, I might not hang around that part of town. But if I do something stupid and 80,000 people see, then I might be scarred for life. It's just not meant to work that way.

Hey, you're not alone, especially not on slashdot. The same thought goes through every Open Source coders mind when they submit code to the repository.

:-)

Re:999 calls

[Anonymous Coward]

"Vigilante Grannies finger hoods for cash!"

You are a sick sick person.

When Life Hands You Lemons...

[Anonymous Coward]

You guys are all so negative! Imagine if you want to kill someone from your hood. Wouldn't it be that much easier to plan for it? I mean, you let him walk home from work... *click* switch over to the next camera *click* *in to the walkie-talkie* He's coming down Brumbley Ave... ok NOW! *pop* dead. Who cares if 50 people see the crime... you've taken appropriate counter measures... and as you are fleeing, avoiding the cops is made that much easier because you can see where they all are too! *in to the walkie-talkie* Watch out! There's three bobbies on Rutlidge and two on foot heading northbound on Brumbley *munches cheetoes on the couch* It's like reality TV meets PS2006.

Re:It's not 1984 if everyone can watch everyone

[nizo]

This sounds like a great way to introduce tens of thousands of people to a huge goatse image. I wonder if the guys at Kinkos would even print a big goatse banner???

Seriously though, I can see these causing a drop in crime because they will be flooded with morons holding up signs and acting like fools (sorta like the cams outside the Today show). Thus it would make it kinda hard to mug people, what with the crowds and all.