Obvious, Really

Obvious, Really

Philip Davis MP has been making a staunch defence of our Surveillance State today.  Writing for ePolitix.com he runs with the usual arguments for such things.  It’s a common line and to save you reading the whole article it usually goes something like this:-  There are really really bad people out there and all we want is to keep you safe from their evil clutches.  You must be afraid, often and intensely, for yourself and for your children.  Because if it will save one life – possibly the life of YOUR OWN CHILD – then it is worth it!  If you are not guilty then you have nothing to fear.

I particularly like the way he casually groups CCTV, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and the DNA database as a single entity – suggesting that by supporting one you must, by definition, support the others:-

DNA, CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) are essential crime-fighting tools for detecting crimes, bringing people to justice, deterring criminals from committing further offences and acquitting the innocent. One of our fundamental liberties is the right to walk the streets without fear of harm or harassment and as a staunch defender of freedom, I strongly believe that we would be profoundly worse off in terms of the overall liberties of the British people and the efficacy of the criminal justice system if we were to reduce the DNA database, the use CCTV cameras and ANPR.

You might also notice that sneaky little trick, where fundamental challenges to our most basic civil liberties are defended by claiming that they are there to protect our civil liberties.  Philip, you are a little devil.  The police would find it much easier to fight crime if we had a computer chip inside our bodies that transmitted data on where we were, what we were doing and with whom at all times.  Maybe that should be the next ‘crime fighting innovation?’  There is no need to fear the power of the state.  The state is always your friend.  Just ask any historian.  They’ll confirm that fundamental truth in short order.

In fact, the recent case of the “Crossbow Cannibal” who has been arrested for the murder of three prostitutes was caught on CCTV.

So, by implication – if you don’t want a cannibal with a crossbow stalking every neighbourhood in the UK – then be quiet and let the State look after you.  Be relaxed about strangers with eyes in the sky watching your every move.  Be cool about your presumption of innocence being turned on its head.  And for goodness’ sake chill out.  Being a free person able to go about your private lawful business without Big Brother minding your every move is nowhere near as important as your safety.  Remember – evil lurks around every corner.  You can’t trust anyone…

The DNA database can also be used to acquit the innocent. The very first murder conviction using DNA evidence, in 1988 proved the innocence of a suspect, Richard Buckland.

Increasing the use of DNA profiles and CCTV, would prevent people from committing crimes, catch perpetrators of justice faster and save the lives of thousands of innocent victims. Surely that enhances all of our freedoms not diminishes them.

Well, yes.  When you look at it with those particularly rosy glasses, the surveillance state is absolutely benign.  Bad guys are trembling, the innocent are safer – what’s the problem?

The problem is precisely what the problem always is when too much power is put into the hands of the state “for our own good.”  The danger of error, the danger of abuse and that old adage about what Absolute Power does…  I’m not abjectly opposed to CCTV (though I do think we have quite enough of it already) nor am I abjectly opposed to number plate recognition.  Of course they sometimes do some good and protect people.  You only have to catch Crimewatch once in a while to see that. 

Both are useful tools as long as their use is properly and sensibly scrutinised.  The trouble is – it isn’t.  Which is why we are still keeping the DNA of people who have never been found guilty of a crime for the simple reason that they might commit a crime one day.  This is a very fundamental change to our civil liberties and the underlying supposition chills me to the bone.  It is only a short hop, skip and jump from storing the DNA of innocent people to electronically tagging children for life, using SatNav technology to track everyone’s personal movements and putting barcodes onto people’s arms.  Those sort of “solutions” are worse than the problem they purport to solve.

Fear can be used to justify almost any infringement of civil liberties.  In fact – it’s the usual method of doing so.  The world is a dangerous place, you will be told.  Let the state hold your hand and keep you safe.  It’s so obvious, really.  Isn’t it?