Big Brother surveillance? How video cameras can make cities safer and contribute to higher economic growth

Koh Hong-Eng says people should weigh the many benefits of public surveillance not only in tackling crime but speeding up responses to emergencies against privacy concerns

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The benefits of surveillance cameras outweigh the costs. Illustration: Craig Stephens

Published: 10:00am, 3 Jun 2018Updated: 7:07pm, 3 Jun 2018

Last month, public safety experts from 40 countries convened in Shenzhen to discuss ways of using information communications technology to make cities run more safely.

While technology has been making cities safer since traffic lights were automated in 1922, the concept of “safe cities” has recently come under fire from those who say the growing presence of video cameras is just an excuse for Orwellian surveillance.

Yet video cameras and other public safety technology support local economies and improve quality of life for residents. Cities should think hard before giving up these benefits.

Watch: Facial recognition technology used by Shenzhen police to identify jaywalkers

Cities are engines of growth. They account for 80 per cent of global gross domestic product and make more efficient use of infrastructure and services than suburban or rural areas. They’re also better at using human and physical capital, creating more output per unit of GDP, patents, or research and development spending.

Violent crime in particular depresses property values and chokes off local tax revenue, leaving less money available for public services

But dangerous conditions can stunt that growth. Violent crime in particular depresses property values and chokes off local tax revenue, leaving less money available for public services. It also shrinks the discretionary income of businesses and households by forcing them to spend more on security. One study by the Inter-American Development Bank showed that violent crime costs Latin American cities US$261 billion a year, or about 3 per cent of the region’s GDP.