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Police to remove Muslim spy cameras in UK city

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Oct 26, IRNA -- British police have finally agreed to remove more than 200 CCTV cameras installed in two areas of Birmingham, central England, to permanently spy on Muslim communities in an anti-terrorism operation.

Chief Constable of West Midlands Police Chris Sims said he believed the complete removal of all the controversial cameras from the Sparkbrook and Washwood Heath areas of Birmingham was the way forward if the force was to start to rebuild vital community support.

“I believe that the support and the confidence of local communities in West Midlands Police is the most important thing for us in the fight against crime and terrorism,” Sims said.

An independent report by Birmingham City Council on Wednesday criticised the police for not being transparent about the cameras, known as Project Champion, and for not carrying out sufficient public consultation.

Councillor Ayoub Khan, cabinet member for Community Safety and Local Services said that there were “no justifiable or beneficial reasons” for the installation. “The way that the Muslim community was targeted is simply unacceptable,” he said.

Last month, an internal police report also condemned the secret UK police counter-terrorism operation to place Muslim communities under permanent surveillance virtually without any consultation, oversight or regard for the law.

The installation was temporarily suspended in June after local councillors revealed police had misled residents into believing they were to be used to combat vehicle crime and antisocial behaviour.

A meeting of the West Midlands Police Authority last Friday welcomed Sims’ acceptance for the cameras to be finally removed and saying that it would “not undermine the operational integrity of policing in these areas.”

The chief constable has already apologised for getting “such an important issue so wrong and that it has had such a negative impact on our communities.” But so far, he has made no mention of any resignations or disciplinary actions over the project.

The outcry follows the disclose that the scheme, which includes 40 cameras concealed in walls and trees, caused heated exchanges and a lot of anger from residents about why Muslims were being targeted at constituency meetings.

The surveillance of the movement of Muslims, including with Automatic Number Plate Reading (ANPR) capability, is believed to be the first of its kind in Britain and raised fears that it was intended as a pilot scheme for other installations.