What Do Murderers Think About the Effectiveness of CCTV?

Abstract The recent London bomb attacks have highlighted the value of CCTV as a post-event investigation tool, although clearly the cameras did not stop the attacks taking place. Research on the effectiveness of CCTV is mixed, especially in terms of its impact in reducing crime rates. Recent independent evidence in the UK suggests that while the public still support CCTV, offenders do not appear to be deterred by CCTV alone. Clearly this is an area where more research is needed. This paper reports on a study assessing convicted murderers' views of CCTV and the findings may help to explain why it has limits as a crime prevention method and perhaps greater potential as a method of facilitating post-event investigation.