Moseley, Birmingham
Spy on Moseley - anti Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) group
Home Page :www.spyonmoseley.co.uk
Facebook group: CCTV cameras in Moseley? NO THANKS!
A group has been set up by Steve Jolly in Moseley, Birmingham to fight a 'ring of steel' encircling parts of the city with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. The scheme is called ‘Project Champion’ and is funded by a £3m grant from the Home Office. Further investigation has revealed that the funding for this scheme was allocated allocated by ACPO (TAM) [Association of Chief Police Officers Terrorism and Allied Matters].
This has implications for every person in Britain with regard to the intrusive role of the state and the mass monitoring of innocent people. In order to monitor a few potential ‘bad guys’ we are all under the watchful eye of the surveillance state. It’s taking liberties in every sense. This is a line in the sand and it has been crossed. Unless we object to this and protest in the strongest terms this spy scheme will simply be imposed on us whether we like it or not. Now it’s time to stand up and be counted.
++ Latest News ++
14th July - Dodgy Project Champion Review announced
West Midlands Police have announced that a so-called “independent review” of Project Champion will be conducted by the chief constable of Thames Valley Police, who just happens to be Vice Chair of the Association of Chief Police Officers Terrorism and Allied Matters Committee (ACPO – TAM), the body that funded Project Champion.
Read more here
8th July - Surveillance Cameras Panel Discussion on UnityFM
Thursday 8h July 5-6pm
on UnityFM Radio 93.5 Mhz
Listen online at http://www.unityfm.net
Community Radio Unity FM has arranged a panel discussion on the Survaillance cameras in inner city Birmingham. The panel will consist of political representatives, representatives of the Police, Safer Birmingham and activists campaigning on the issue. The panel will answer questions from the audience.
4th July - Rally against the cameras in Birmingham
Sunday 4th July 4pm at The Bordesley Centre, Stratford Road, Camp Hill,
Birmingham B11 1AR
+ Videos of speakers now online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPb_r-HN15I +
To view a short ITV Central News report of the rally click here.
Public event intended to rally support for communities in Birmingham, stand up for our privacy and civil liberties and oppose the mass surveillance of ordinary citizens by our government. Organised by Birmingham Against Spy Cameras.
Keynote speakers included:
- Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights and civil liberties organisation, Liberty;
- Gareth Pierce, top human rights lawyer, who has represented countless very high profile clients;
- Salma Yaqoob, Sparkbrook Councillor and Leader of the Respect Party;
- John Hemming, MP for Birmingham Yardley;
- Ray Gaston, Methodist / Inter-faith preacher and author of `A Heart Broken Open'
- Steve Jolly local campaigner against the surveillance cameras;
- and others to be confirmed
Chaired/hosted by journalist and broadcaster Adrian Goldberg (talkSport, BBC Radio WM, The Birmingham Mail and editor of The Stirrer website, http://www.thestirrer.co.uk which is covering the story daily).
Councillors spycam reservations revealed
June 22nd, 2010
Councillors misled and given false assurances in police briefing. "Full consultation" was promised, then quickly forgotten.
See http://www.thestirrer.co.uk/?p=672
www.thestirrer.co.uk
24th June - West Midlands Police Authority Meeting
June 21st, 2010
A meeting takes place this week of the West Midlands Police Authorty Thursday, 24 June 2010 10.00 in the The Committee Suite, Lloyd House, Colmore Circus Queensway, Birmingham.
The authority authorised Project Champion in February 2008
This is a public meeting so all can attend.
Cameras to be bagged
June 21st, 2010
Channel Four News reports that, "An anti-crime partnership has agreed to delay the switch-on of more than 200 security cameras after complaints that they will infringe residents' civil liberties." What?! -"DELAY the switch-on? That's what they think. This fight will not stop until they are all REMOVED!
Spy cameras bagged after complaints
www.channel4.com
Steve Jolly phoned the Safer Birmingham Partnership to ask when the offending cameras will be covered over with bags, as promised in their recent press release. A spokesperson said they are awaiting delivery of "special bags" and that the 'bagging' should commence "in a couple of weeks."
*NEWS FLASH* Project Halted Pending Full Consultation
June 16th, 2010
A press statement was issued this afternoon (Wed 16th June) on behalf of Safer Birmingham Partnership, Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police, following today’s meeting to review the future of Project Champion.
See http://www.spyonmoseley.co.uk/?p=178
Angry Scenes As People Unite Against Spy Cam Scheme
June 9th, 2010
Every single councillor at last night’s constituency council meeting (Tuesday 8th June) and the entire audience united in calling for the surveillance camera scheme to be scrapped. We all united in condemnation of the unwanted spy cameras put up in our neighbourhoods to track our every move. The whole room was unanimous in their outrage and over this gross assault on our civil liberties; it was democracy in action. People from the communities affected came and spoke out in the strongest possible terms. We totally trounced the Safer Birmingham Partnership and the police. They were broken and beaten and they must be going away for a major re-think of this ill-conceived plan that has clearly backfired.
This issue isn’t going to go away, but maybe the cameras will. We can win this. Our lawyer from Liberty stood up and said they would be mounting a legal challenge. The whole thing’s illegal. And NOBODY wants it. We’re gonna get these things removed.