Don’t make me a target

The BBC had a newstory recently about the possibility of using CCTV to track crime suspects by the branded clothing they wear http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hooligans/1979909.stm.

“The Metropolitan Police is looking into technology which can automatically identify branded logos on clothing.”

“Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s iPM programme he said, “Many of these young criminals in particular wear distinctive track-suits and coats with logos and sporting emblems and we’re going to use that facility to search, link and identify criminals.”

Here’s the thinking:

1. People that do stuff wrong wear clothes

2. Peoples faces are very difficult to differentiate via CCTV, especially as those committing crime have learnt to obscure them and don’t smile politely at CCTV cameras anymore.

3. So we could narrow them down initially by scanning their clothes and identifying brand marks.

So if a guy in a pink nike shellsuit robs a bank, it will be quicker to search all the cameras in that area first for pink nike shellsuits, then from there you can check them against other details you have about the individual.

I don’t want to get all big brother here, but this scares me a bit. Its best not to think about the amount of times your recorded on camera whilst wondering around central London. You don’t need to think about it, because you’re not doing anything wrong. But what concerns me is what might happen to particular brands which might become associated with crime or anti-social behavior. Football hooliganism is one example, certain brands have become somewhat associated with football hooliganism.

“There is a fascination among football hooligans with designer labels such as Lacoste, Burberry, Aquascutum and in particular with Italian label Stone Island.”

BBC New Item - “Hooligans Under Cover“

In my doomsday head I can imagine at the start, the monitoring is only reactionary. But then should individuals wearing the same brands, repeatedly commit offences it would to make sense to pro-actively monitor for individuals in these brands, in these types of situations before they commit crimes. Then its only a hop, skimp and a mini-jump to lots of wrong time, wrong place, wrong apparel type mistaken arrest type scenarios.

“What they do is they tend to go out in a kind of uniform, if you see a kid in a brand of “hoodie” you can be pretty sure he’ll be wearing that same brand of “hoodie” the next time he commits an offence.”

I hate the idea of wearing something that would automatically label me.

“The intention is we want criminals to fear CCTV so the investment in CCTV is realised - the criminals fear it and the public feel safer,” said DCI Neville.

I wonder how big an issue it is if the public fear CCTV as well.

In a country that seems ever increasingly dominated by a few dozen brands, I’m sort of relived reading this that there are sites like Spreadshirt allowing you to wear brand free, or custom branded clothing. So when you walk down the street your clothes only raise as much of a flag to those around you, or those watching you, as you want them too.

Read the full BBC newstory here