Camera surveillance within the UK: Enhancing public safety or a social threat?

Surveillance cameras are now well established within the UK and have been a feature within public spaces for many years. Their proliferation continues and, despite government interventions through the legislative process, real concerns still remain about lack of control and regulation, and their intrusive nature. A newly elected government is in the process of reviewing current privacy laws and intends to introduce new legislation in the near future. It is timely to consider how the proliferation of surveillance cameras developed and what evidence there is to justify their place within society. Do they significantly contribute to public safety and prevention of crime and terrorist activity, or are they becoming a blot on the landscape, unnecessarily interfering with private lives? Will the planned government interventions allay concerns, and provide the public with more confidence about the use of surveillance cameras, or will public concern remain?