Visitors to England, and most of Europe, may not realize it but they are under almost constant surveillance. Cameras are a common sight in large towns and cities, most are discretely placed but they are numerous and cover much of the goings on.

English residents think nothing about being under constant watch and don’t think about their privacy being invaded, it is just the way things are.  Most freeway bridges have speed cameras installed and speeders can be caught easily.  This doesn’t seem to deter speeders as they race past you, in their haste to move along.

In Canada we seem to have an aversion to being watched.  Photo radar came in with a flourish and, once people realised that it caught those with a heavy foot, speeding was reduced quite significantly.  There was no arguing with the photograph of your vehicle, licence plate fully displayed, posted at going over the limit.  One arrived at our home and, not too happily, my husband paid the fine.  After that he took more care.

However, the indignation of being under surveillance caused such a flurry of complaints that the police were forced to drop the program.  How much had it cost taxpayers to install the program, which seemed to be doing the job of slowing traffic, but then have the program scrapped?  The reason the general public wanted the radar cancelled was because some thought it an invasion of privacy.

Several years ago, cameras were installed in a park in Kelowna, which was a well known drug dealing area.  Once again, someone was incensed at the thought of cameras looking down on public activities and, you guessed it, down came the cameras.

What is the problem with public surveillance?  If I am ever caught on camera, so what?  It may be likely that I will be doing something embarrassing like picking my nose or scratching my backside.  This may cause me to have a red face as someone has a laugh at my expense, but it will not be a problem.   Unless you have something to hide, why would you really care?

It took me quite a few years to realize that there were cameras at ATM machines and I blush when I think of the silly things I may have been doing whilst making transactions.  When I thought I was alone I would sing, talk to myself and grumble at the machine, if I thought it wasn’t working fast enough.  However, they soon identify people who are stealing from someone else’s account.

The cameras installed in London’s underground railway stations were really useful in establishing the identity of several terrorists, who had blown up a bus and placed other bombs in the city.  This lead to the arrest and imprisonment of the terrorists.  Most big towns in England have a huge population so the cameras really assist in crime prevention.

I would not like to see Oliver become under permanent watch, however, maybe a couple of cameras on Main St. would cut down on vandalism.

If we are in a public place, can we really expect privacy?  In our home and yard, we should be able to move around without anyone else looking in.  The current popularity of drones that invade our private space is a problem.  Hovering over private homes where we should be able to feel free from intrusion is wrong, but I don’t think we should expect that same privacy while out in public.

The cameras that were placed to prevent drug trafficking in the Kelowna park, would seem like a good idea to me.  Surely trying to control drug sales is a good thing.  I really do not see why people would take offence and assume their privacy is invaded.  If you are not doing anything illegal, what is the problem?