For them to be effective, someone has to supervise them and actually look at the results. Under normal circumstances this is the world’s most boring job and, although software has been designed to alert the viewer to the unusual, at the moment it simply does not work very well.
The question is whether it will lower crime.
In Britain, which reportedly has 4.2 million surveillance cameras installed (which works out at about one per 14 people), the British police admited the system has in fact done little to bring down crime.
What it has done is make the hooded jacket a fashion symbol. With the hood up, the camera cannot see your face. Next step will be cameras that can penetrate hoods and the step after than will be foil lined hoods that cannot be penetrated.