West Midlands Police has admitted mistakes were made in relation to the project A lack of transparency over the installation of 218 “spy” cameras in parts of Birmingham has “significantly undermined” police trust, a report has found.
The cameras were put up earlier this year in eastern areas of the city with large Muslim populations.
The £3.5m cost of the cameras came from the Terrorism and Allied Matters Fund.
The Thames Valley Police report into the camera project said public consultation was “too little too late”.
The report was carried out by Sara Thornton, a member of the team which provided the funding.
The cameras were installed in the Washwood Heath and Sparkbrook districts and were put up by the Safer Birmingham Project (SBP), made up of the city council, police and other agencies.
At the time residents reacted angrily, claiming there had been no consultation.
Steve Jolly, who has protested with others about the cameras, said the report showed the project was “ill thought-out”.
“It’s a frank admission that the whole thing was a disaster,” he said.
“It confirms everything that myself and other opponents have been saying.
“The scheme was ill thought out and counter productive.”
The report said the installation of the cameras, called Project Champion, was prompted by “problems” that had surfaced in West Midlands Police surveillance-based investigations during in 2006.
In 2007 the force identified an opportunity to obtain funding “that could provide a solution”.
The report states that during that year, the threat level in the UK was critical with and there were many covert counter terrorist investigations being carried out by the Security Services and the police.
“Questions should have been asked about its proportionality, legitimacy, authority necessity, and the ethical values inherent in the proposed course of action”
Independent report into Project Champion
But the report said overall West Midlands Police’s handling of the scheme, showed “little evidence of thought being given to compliance with the legal or regulatory framework” before the cameras were put up.
The force has since acknowledged mistakes and held several public meetings with campaigners and residents angry at their installation.
The report said the idea of carrying out surveillance of suspected terrorists in a residential area should have been challenged.
“The very practical problem regarding the surveillance of suspected terrorists during CTU investigations was considered to have been addressed by establishing a permanent surveillance capability in a semi-residential area of predominantly Asian ethnic groups,” the report said.
“This thinking should have been challenged by strong ethical and strategic leadership right from the start and questions should have been asked about its proportionality, legitimacy, authority necessity, and the ethical values inherent in the proposed course of action.”
In July, police said protective hoods and “camera not in use” signs were being fixed to the cameras until a full public consultation had been carried out.
The force also promised to remove more than 70 hidden cameras and stop any counter-terrorism involvement.
It is not clear now following this report whether the project will continue or be abandoned.
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