UK Policing Riddled with Chinese CCTV Cameras
The Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner (OBSCC) discovered that an alarming number of police forces across the UK are using surveillance cameras from Chinese vendors, including Dahua, Hikvision, Huawei, Nuuo and US firm Honeywell, for both indoor and outdoor systems on their premises. Furthermore, eleven police forces have also installed ANPR number plate recognition kits from these five manufacturers. Out of all of them, Hikvision is believed to be the main provider, supplying at least two different law enforcement agencies with body-worn cameras as well.
But it doesn’t stop there – twenty-three out of thirty-one respondents who operate drones revealed they had security or ethical worries regarding the particular Chinese manufaturer DJI. This anxiety was sparked after the British government forbid deployment of these cameras on official property, plus ensuring such gadgets weren’t connected to essential networks – a decision made back in November.
The growing concerns has been further supported by reports of human rights violations in certain areas of China, namely in Xinjiang, that were directly linked to the same equipment being used by police forces in this country.
Source: UK Policing Riddled with Chinese CCTV Cameras – Infosecurity Magazine
