CCTV cameras to be deployed at 3.8% of London bus stops in an attempt to protect woman and girls – but will they feel safer?

Transport for London (TFL) is reportedly installing CCTV cameras at 20 bus shelters in London to help combat violence against women and girls.

The technology was tested at five bus stops in March, and will now be installed at 15 more locations in Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Hammersmith, Fulham, Hillingdon, Lambeth, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Westminster.

TFL has explained that the locations in these boroughs were chosen to help understand the effectiveness of CCTV cameras across a wide range of areas in London, including areas with a high footfall, as well as quieter areas with infrequent buses, high crime areas, or places with significant reports of incidents involving female victims.

The Metropolitan Police will have live access, and the footage will be held for 31 days to aid in any potential investigations.

The results of the trial will be used to evaluate the costs and the feasibility of a wider rollout of CCTV cameras to other locations in London.

There are currently 19,000 bus stops in London, so these cameras will currently only monitor 3.8% of the city's locations.

Independent London thinktank Center for London reported that 45% of women in London feel unsafe at night at their local bus stop, while 47% feel unsafe on the tube. They also reported that while 44% of women said they would like to see more police resources focused on improving safety for women and girls, 51% would like to see an introduction of respect and consent training in schools.

Met Commander Ben Russell said: “This pilot will help protect women and girls, meaning they can enjoy safer spaces across the capital. It also aims to help us bring more dangerous predators to justice, with CCTV being used as a key tool as part of our investigations.”

Nicola Kalms, associate professor and founder of XYX Lab, a design research company exploring gender-sensitive design practices and theory, believes that CCTV can actually deter women.

“Her immediate response is to think that she’s in an unsafe place … The symbolic impact of the CCTV camera is really shaping women’s behaviour in cities.”

She believes that while CCTV cameras provide a short term solution, they do not capture certain types of sexual harassment such as verbal or stalking. She also alluded to maintenance, and the ease with which CCTV cameras can be vandalized, as well as issues with quality of footage and glitches with the technology.

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