CCTV does not work: new evidence

A local story that illustrates that CCTV is not a silver bullet that fixes everything. Some of the comments are interesting too.
CCTV not enough to protect Bristol family - Thisisbristol 1/10/09 http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/CCTV-protect-Bristol-family/article-1383410-detail/article.html
"A Bristol mother of two thought she had finally stopped the man she believes is terrorising her family, when he was caught on CCTV Bristol vandalising her husband's car.So she was stunned when the police told her that despite paying hundreds of pounds for the security system, there wasn't have enough evidence to charge him."

In this case, police claimed that CCTV evidence was not enough and that old-fashioned witnesses were required. Of course if it is in the interests of the police and/or their paymasters (government/local councils or 'businessmen') then CCTV recordings will miraculously be awarded credibility otherwise denied them.
Some officers, if it suits, will even go so far as to say that if there was only human witness and no CCTV, then all bets are off.

On the other hand, as I happily told a police acquaintance, I once witnessed one near miraculous example of the technology and The Force together doing a good job; I had joined the long-established Bristol anti-war vigil (above) for five minutes one afternoon when a couple of really determined troublemakers jumped up on the kerb, and I could tell they hadn't just come to talk about the weather. But they were followed, practically instantaneously, by two coppers who quietly saw them off. Our uniformed saviours popped up from nowhere and vanished again just as smoothly.

I have to qualify this, though: on 22nd April 2011 the Vigil again came under attack while I attended; this time  a sustained visit, leaving your correspondent reclining in the bushes and his Gaza placard ripped up, but this time the cavalry did not speed to the rescue. All the Queen's horses and all the Queen's men missed out because one monitor watcher was off having a cup of tea. ( The police have since told me that the cameras were doing their job but pointing somewhere else). So the jury remains out on this one.