Given a free hand and unlimited funding, I believe that there are technocrats in England that would have a CCTV camera on every urban street corner and on as many trees and lamp-posts in rural areas as possible.

It was therefore of interest to me to recently read the published comments of the government’s CCTV commissioner, Tony Porter, who evidently believes that many of the CCTV cameras in England and Wales are not giving value for money. Mr Porter actually used the word “useless” to describe these.

The commissioner claims that the rest of Europe looks askance at the way CCTV coverage has proliferated throughout England and Wales in a way not matched anywhere else in Europe. This has happened despite the fact that there is now overwhelming evidence that CCTV is not a deterrent to criminals.

Tony Porter also sounds a warning that we must try to avoid sleep walking into becoming a “surveillance society”. He points out that the public are not given the relevant facts about CCTV and he calls for a public debate.

Many will point to the threat we face from jihadist and other terrorist groups as a justification for having the amount of CCTV that we have now, but Tony Porter is himself a former counter terrorism officer and therefore has a better than average understanding of what works best in defending society against terrorism. This gives his opinion about CCTV a particular emphasis.

Of course, the “toys for the boys” group in society will continue to argue for more CCTV cameras but I think that Tony Porter has made a good point. Local government at all levels is struggling to cope with the financial pressures and therefore it is timely to pause and review what we are actually getting for the money spent on CCTV. Are we spending on providing and maintaining the cameras and surveillance suites in the belief that this is preventing crime? If so, we are deluding ourselves, according to the data freely available.

Crime detection and crime prevention is the job of our police service, so perhaps in preparation for the national public debate that Tony Porter advocates, we should seek the opinion of the police. One police force, that protecting Dyfed and Powys, has just scrapped its network of security cameras and intends spending the money thus saved to provide more “bobbies on the beat”.

I recently saw a TV programme dealing with crime prevention and a hardened criminal was interviewed and asked if he was deterred from offending by CCTV. He answered “no” and when asked what would be a deterrent he answered, “the sight of a policeman”.

I have never felt so safe in a big city as when I have been visiting New York. I asked myself why I had this feeling of security in a place that must have its fair share of villains. I eventually realised that I felt safe by the simple fact that walking the streets of New York means you are never far from a cop. In fact, NYPD seemed to me to have a foot patrol officer on almost every other street corner and these were supported by others in cars that were a reassuring display of protection and a real deterrent to crime.

At least one police service in the UK seems to have got this message and is switching funding from CCTV to gain greater value for money.

The sooner the review called for by Tony Porter takes place the better. In the meantime, folks, smile because you are probably being watched on CCTV.