Why the CCTV debate?
Certain obsessions and fixations have been making the country pay a heavy price. A classic example is the reluctance by previous government administrations to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) security cameras outside police stations and other vulnerable public buildings. The Greek Police does have the cameras collecting dust somewhere in storage, while the few that have been installed at strategic locations have been destroyed by vandals over the past few years. The need for cameras to be installed at sensitive locations is now more apparent than ever; they are necessary, both in order to protect citizens’ lives and to safeguard public property. The truth is that there is nothing to fear from such a measure, so long as the placement of CCTV cameras is strictly governed by rules protecting the public’s privacy. As the most recent events have underscored only too clearly, terrorism does exist in Greece and it is a problem that needs to be handled with courage and determination by the new PASOK government of Prime Minister George Papandreou.
