More cameras in towns and trains
3,500 extra CCTV cameras will be installed in France, while avoiding 'Anglo-Saxon' approach of putting them everywhere
AN EXTRA 3,500 video-surveillance cameras will be installed in 280 towns and villages around France, the government has announced.
The state is putting €30m towards the cost of the programme - about 40% of the total - with local mayors responsible for finding the rest with help from departmental and regional councils.
There are an estimated 20,000 CCTV cameras in public places in France today. The Interior Ministry has spoken before of plans to triple the number, but no firm plans have been made to this effect.
The Ministry now says it would prefer to have fewer cameras giving a high picture quality than what it said was the "Anglo-Saxon" approach of installing low-definition cameras on almost every city street corner.
Nice has already declared its intention to become the most filmed city in France, doubling the number of cameras by the end of this year.
PDF: Is your commune affected? See the full list here
Meanwhile, the SNCF has announced plans to almost double the number of CCTV cameras it uses by 2013 following recent attacks on passengers and train crew.
Full details of the funding for the €350m project have yet to be confirmed, but the SNCF - which lost €1bn last year - is likely to ask regional councils for a contribution.
At the moment, the SNCF has access to 14,400 cameras - of which 6,300 are in stations and 8,100 on trains. The rail operator wants the figure to pass 25,000.
