A number of CCTV cameras in the UK could be as high at 5.2 million, and there is one camera per 13 as the use of CCTV cameras for public surveillance, at-home CCTV and doorbell cameras grows. The majority of cameras operating in the UK are owned by private companies as well as homeowners.
“It won’t come as a shock to most people that the number of CCTV Cameras in the UK has hit a new high, driven mainly by residents installing home CCTV in the last year. The popularity of doorbell cameras is relentless”, says James Ritchey from CCTV installation company CCTV.co.uk
The number of cameras operating in the UK was estimated to be 4.8 million, but it is now believed the number has increased up to 5.2 million , as price of technology decreases and the use of cameras under PS200 cameras for surveillance and doorbell cameras rises. The fear of lockdowns and the increasing number of mail-order purchases has led to the adoption of CCTV systems that are DIY in homes for surveillance as well as security.
The problem with the calculation of what number of cameras exist within the UK
There’s no specific amount of data available on the number of CCTV cameras exist, as cameras do not have to be registered at all Anyone can set up CCTV cameras to safeguard their home.
Generallyspeaking, there are four kinds of CCTV cameras in the UK:
- Local Authority/Council/Police CCTV camera monitoring systems
- Business and corporate CCTV Systems
- Home CCTV Systems
- Wireless cameras and a doorbell that is not installed
We are able to predict with some confidence that the total number of CCTV cameras in London is 691,000.
A study conducted in 2002 by the writers Michael McCahill and Clive Norris predicted one camera for every 14 people. In areas with high density, it increases to 1 camera for every 11. But, 18 years later we are aware that these figures are a bit off. CCTV.co.uk considers that an average of 1 for 13 people is a more reasonable average across UK cities.
Freedom of Information requests uncover cameras run through Local Authorities, Police and London Transport total 23,708 which is 3.4 percent of the total amount of cameras operating in London. The majority of CCTV cameras are run by private firms and private homeowners with a total of 96%, a figure that keeps growing.
Cities with the highest number of CCTV cameras across the UK:
- 689,000 – London
- 83,000 – Birmingham
- 58,000 – Leeds
- 46,000 – Glasgow
- 43,000 – Sheffield
- 39,000 – Manchester
- 38,000 – Edinburgh
- 36,000 – Liverpool
- 33,000 – Bristol
- 27,000 – Cardiff
- 26,000 – Leicester
- 25,000 – Coventry
- 24,000 – Nottingham
- 23,000 – Bradford
- 22,000 – Belfast
- 22,000 22,000 Newcastle upon Tyne
- 20,000 – Milton Keynes
- 20,000 – Plymouth
- 20,000 – Hull
- 20,000 – Wolverhampton
“These numbers may send shivers down the spine of those worried about state monitoring, however it appears that the Government controls less than 4% of the total CCTV cameras in the UK – most are just homeowners protecting their property”,
