Airport Security
Body and bag scanning:
Due to terrorist attacks in recent years and increase in security, all plane passengers are required to undergo two security scanning check before they are allowed onto the aircraft. Passengers must walk through a metal detector; mostly all of these are based on pulse indication (PI). This causes a magnetic field to generate in the machine and sends a current to the alarm if metal is detected on the individual. Individuals who set off this alarm are then further checked by airport security staff for any hidden items. This scanning results in passengers being unable to carry weapons such as knifes and guns onto the plane which could cause in violence and terrorist actions being staged; confirming the security of the other passengers and minimising the risk of violence on board. New technology implimenting x-ray technology is also being put in place in airports today, although this takes longer it gives an extremely clear x-ray image of the passenger showing any hidden items they may be carrying, there is a debate about invasion of privacy for women and minors in regard to these machines however many airports around the world are installing them. 
As you are undergoing these security measures, your bags are also being scanned through an x-ray machine to ensure you are not carrying any dangerous items on board. These machines send x-ray waves at the items, and as different substances absorb x-rays at difference rates it can show what the item is essentially composed of; x-rays can determine if an item is metal, organic or non-organic. This means that security staff can find drugs, home made bombs or further weapons using these machines and can persecute the individual responsible for attempting to carry these items on board. Passport Control
This is possibly the most important aspect of airport security as it checks that the passengers travelling are who they say they are, and are permitted to be boarding the aeroplane. Passengers must present their passport to a security staff member who will be using a system called CAPPS (Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System)- this causes a large image to be presented on the screen as well as your personal details, and flying history. However these systems are being fazed out and new electronic passports are being distributed to adults around the world and are already widely available in the UK. These e-passports are scanned through a machine and a small camera lowers to take a detailed scan of your face, this is then matched to the picture on your passport and if the photos are approved you are allowed to continue on your journey however if the photos are not matched then you will be checked by a security official to ensure you are exactly who you claim to be. In some countries you are required to have fingerprint scanning to further ensure accuracy and the UK officials are considering this to be added to their line of defenceAdvantages:
- Ensures national security, and the safety of passengers on the flight
- Reduces the risk of a terrorist attack via an aeroplane
- Keeps the airport environment safe and weapon free
- Stops people smuggling goods from one country to another
- New electronic passports can speed up the time it takes to make it through to the aircraft
Disadvantages:
- There are not many disadvantages to the airport security system as it is for all our safety and the only slight problem is that it may cause long waits or delays due to large amounts of people trying to get through to the departure lounge at once.
The Police Force Security
Speed cameras are in place all over the UK to reduce the occurance of drivers speeding on the roads and risking the lives of other drivers through their careless driving. There are various types of speed cameras available over the world but the most commonly used on motorways in the UK are SPECs. These cameras are fitted with high tech cameras and ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Reading) techonology and track every vehicle that passes them regardless of speeding or not. The camera takes two pictures from two different locations and from the time and speed the computer can establish the speed at which the vehicle was travelling between the two points. These types of cameras are used mostly on motorways when vehicles are travelling at the highest speed and potenitally causing the most risk to other drivings if they are speeding.
http://www.speedcamerasuk.com/specs.htm
Another type of speed camera are Gatsos; there are roughly 4000 of these in place around the UK and currently account for 90% of all fixed speed cameras. These cameras are expensive and can cost between £20,000 - £40,000 depending on the area in which they are placed and how busy the roads can be. In a particularly busy area a camera's film may run out in just a few hours, and with each speeding ticket costing £60 a time the cost is quickly covered. Each camera can take up to 400 photos, and using speedometers they can determine if a vehicle is exceeding the speed limit and takes a picture of the car. Police can then use the image to determine the number plate, trace the driver and send them a penalty notice in the post.
Well placed cameras have proved a breakthrough in prosecuting criminals at trials and provide undeniable evidence to either prosecute or prove the innocence of an individual's actions. For example the Bulgar case in 1993 in which a three year old child was taken from a busy shopping center and was the victim of terrible violence before being tied to a train track and killed. The CCTV images in the shopping center ruled out the possibilty of a paeodophile being involved in the case and led the police to look for two young boys who were clearly shown leading the young James Bulgar by the hand to his death. Faced with the clear evidence of their guilt the boys were unable to deny the charges and were eventually prosecuted for the murder of James Bulgar. It can also give police leads into missing persons cases; the last known movements of an individual can be viewed via CCTV images and piece together information that could lead to the person being found safe.
Tagging is often seen as an answer to rising prison populations and tries to encourage courts to allow minor offences to be punished using tagging rather than sending the guilty person to prison. Only 2% of people who were tagged have reoffended so it proves that the method is effective and offenders often learn a larger lesson being isolated from the society. These tags also protect the society as any breach of order is reported immediateto the police and forces are often present before any crime can even be commited- it also gives police an idea of offenders in an residential area and can prove positive for controlling crime. These tags are also beneficial for the economy as the money that would have been spent feeding and housing criminals in prison cells is much higher than the cost of providing and monitoring tags. If would cost roughly £24,000 to house criminal for a year however tagging only costs £2000 per year, a massive saving for each case. The individual would probably both benefit and be affected negatively by these tags; they would not have a prison stay on their records and would not have to be exposed to the more sever criminals that prisons harbour. However the individual's social skills would be affected badly as they are now unable to normally communicate with others as they leave the house and lose connections with people who they are now unable to see.
<--Should non-violent offenders be tagged or sent, or kept in prison?
Police take the fingerprints of all offenders who walk through their doors; this allows police all over the country to track who has commited crimes and the record of anybody's past. This means criminals who lie or try to decieve police about any prior offences can be quickly proved wrong and punishments can be decided based on all accounts. The UK DNA Database contains roughly 3.1 million DNA on record; all those brought into and detained in a police station have their records taken; along with suspects, from crime scenes and the list grows by 30,000 each month. The UK's database is the foremost and largest database of it's kind in the world- containing 5.2% of the country's population compared to 0.5% in the USA.
However although this database may ensure that the criminals are punished for all their wrongdoings and allows no criminals to lie about their records, it also has many disadvantages. For example, people who are waiting for trial are added to the system; however even if they are proved innocent and have not commited any crime they still remain present on the database and are still given the status as offenders to police around the country. The fact their DNA remains on this database can also affect their future aspirations; workplaces will often not accept any applicant who has any history of crime on their records and people may lose jobs due to this, even if they were cleared. Also, there are over 150,000 records of minor's DNA to be seen- these children are often innocent and is a major breach of privacy as they are not yet adults. DNA can also deteriorate over time and fingerprints become distorted; meaning close family members may be prosecuted wrongly.
Drink driving in the UK is a commonly occuring offence and cause a huge risk to other motorists and pedestrians. On average 3,000 people per year are killed or seriously injured due to drunk drivers and if caught you face 6 months imprisonment, a £5000 fine and a minimum of a year driving ban; huge prices to pay for your decision to drive whilst over the limit. The limit in the UK is roughly 4 units for men and 3 units for women before driving becomes illegal. It is possilbe for this exact alcohol content to be measured in your blood (80mg alcohol/ 100ml blood), urine (107mg alcohol/ 100ml urine) or in your breath (30mg alcohol/ 100ml breath). To allow policemen to measure the alcohol content on the roadside; of motorist's they may have pulled over due to careless driving, they use breathalysers.
Another type of speed camera are Gatsos; there are roughly 4000 of these in place around the UK and currently account for 90% of all fixed speed cameras. These cameras are expensive and can cost between £20,000 - £40,000 depending on the area in which they are placed and how busy the roads can be. In a particularly busy area a camera's film may run out in just a few hours, and with each speeding ticket costing £60 a time the cost is quickly covered. Each camera can take up to 400 photos, and using speedometers they can determine if a vehicle is exceeding the speed limit and takes a picture of the car. Police can then use the image to determine the number plate, trace the driver and send them a penalty notice in the post. http://www.speedcamerasuk.com/gatso.htm
Advantages:
· Forces people to drive at a safe speed or face the risk of a ban or fine
· Ensures the safety of other motorists and pedestrians
· Keeps people focusing on the laws of the road
· Reduces the amount of police needed to monitor the roads
· Good for the economy; the money the Government earn from fining speeders can go towards public works and improvements
Disadvantages
· Makes people look at their dashboard to check they are not speeding which is dangerous in itself
· Some studies, such as in Swindon, show they make no impact on the number of road deaths and since their removal statistics have actually decreased
· Sneaky and often poorly placed to catch out unsuspecting drivers
CCTV
In terms of statistics, the UK has the most CCTV cameras in the world; there are in excess of 400 million cameras all the over the island and there is roughly one camera per 14 heads, and about 40 times as many camcorders. London alone has over 200,000 CCTV cameras installed and the London Borough of Croyden has more CCTV cameras than the whole of New York! In the UK you are caught on CCTV cameras an average of 300 times a day, this may be through private cameras (schools, work) or public cameras that film you as you go about your daily business. In fact every bank machine in this country has a hidden camera that records you making your transaction to stop card thiefs and frauds; a shocking 89% of the population were unaware that they were being filmed.
Well placed cameras have proved a breakthrough in prosecuting criminals at trials and provide undeniable evidence to either prosecute or prove the innocence of an individual's actions. For example the Bulgar case in 1993 in which a three year old child was taken from a busy shopping center and was the victim of terrible violence before being tied to a train track and killed. The CCTV images in the shopping center ruled out the possibilty of a paeodophile being involved in the case and led the police to look for two young boys who were clearly shown leading the young James Bulgar by the hand to his death. Faced with the clear evidence of their guilt the boys were unable to deny the charges and were eventually prosecuted for the murder of James Bulgar. It can also give police leads into missing persons cases; the last known movements of an individual can be viewed via CCTV images and piece together information that could lead to the person being found safe. However CCTVs are not always used for our benefit; people have argued that they are a violation of our privacy and by being watched almost 100% of the time we are not at home this does not give us the freedom to do whatever we want, within the rights of the law. CCTVs can also be manipulated easily; the lenses can be covered or broken without much effort and the angle of the coverage could be altered so the desired area will not be monitored. Also CCTV images are not always completely clear and persons may be wrongly identified or prosecuted due to the poor quality of images shown and confusion may arise when trying to establish the identity of somebody caught on the camera.
Advantages:
· Can aid police in identifying criminals and prosecuting people they would never have suspected unless there was visual evidence
· Gives the police clues in to searching for missing persons; they can trace their last movements to determine where they may be now or if foul play is involved
· Ensures the safety of people; if security forces spot suspicious activity or violence they can report to the police who can arrest the suspect before anything dangerous occurs
· Added security to homes, buildings and offices
Disadvantages
· Invasion of our privacy; we are caught unwillingly on average 300 times a day by various CCTV systems
· Images are not always completely clear and may give police a wrong lead, or lead to them prosecuting somebody who only looks like the vague image they have
· CCTVs are easily damaged or altered to stop them recording the desired area
· Expensive, and if poorly placed can be extremely ineffective and non beneficial to the identification of people
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4060443/Seven-of-ten-murders-solved-by-CCTV.html
Tagging:
Criminals who are released from prison, but do not pose an immediate threat to the society as a whole (such as sex offenderers) may be tagged. This involves an electronic GPS emmiting device to be attached the leg of the criminal and signals are continually sent to a montinoring centre which can track their exact location at all times. If the tag is forcebally removed or damaged the police are alerted and come within minutes to check the individual has not breached the agreed terms and that no crime has been commited. Sex offenders, for example, are often barred from going near parks, schools or other common areas when young people meet. They may also be confined to a certain perimeter ound their home and be restricted from even communicating with the outside world.
Tagging is often seen as an answer to rising prison populations and tries to encourage courts to allow minor offences to be punished using tagging rather than sending the guilty person to prison. Only 2% of people who were tagged have reoffended so it proves that the method is effective and offenders often learn a larger lesson being isolated from the society. These tags also protect the society as any breach of order is reported immediateto the police and forces are often present before any crime can even be commited- it also gives police an idea of offenders in an residential area and can prove positive for controlling crime. These tags are also beneficial for the economy as the money that would have been spent feeding and housing criminals in prison cells is much higher than the cost of providing and monitoring tags. If would cost roughly £24,000 to house criminal for a year however tagging only costs £2000 per year, a massive saving for each case. The individual would probably both benefit and be affected negatively by these tags; they would not have a prison stay on their records and would not have to be exposed to the more sever criminals that prisons harbour. However the individual's social skills would be affected badly as they are now unable to normally communicate with others as they leave the house and lose connections with people who they are now unable to see. <--Should non-violent offenders be tagged or sent, or kept in prison? However many critics see tagging as the 'soft option'; opposed to a lifetime in prison for their crimes, they are allowed to stay in contact with the outside world and family ties be continued. This is of great appeal to offenders who may see this rise of tagging as a way out of serving their time in a cell and an easy way out for their actions. Also, tagging is often only active during the night to ensure they don't breach curfew, however this does not eradicate the option for crime to be commited during the day. And although the tag restricts the movement of the individual it does not stop them from associating with other crimes and organising criminal offences either over the phone or in person.The tagging system, like all computer based systems, is able to crash and fail leaving tagees unmonitored and free to move around freely.
Advantages:
· Stops the overcrowding of prisons
· Allows minor criminals to suffer a punishment without mixing with larger criminals who may influence them negatively and persuade to continue to commit crime
· The location of the individual is available to be seen at all times, ensuring they are not where they are not supposed to be
· Police can reach the criminal within minutes, and constant watch is not needed
· Saves the economy a lot of money in regards to not having to sustain them in prison
Disadvantages
· May have affects of the mental state of the subject; lack of socializing and confinement may adversely affect their social skills
· Considering the ‘easy way out’- if this is an alternative to prison then most would take it, as they are still allowed access to the outside world
· Tags may malfunction and allow the criminal free range of movement for a period of time
DNA Databases
Police take the fingerprints of all offenders who walk through their doors; this allows police all over the country to track who has commited crimes and the record of anybody's past. This means criminals who lie or try to decieve police about any prior offences can be quickly proved wrong and punishments can be decided based on all accounts. The UK DNA Database contains roughly 3.1 million DNA on record; all those brought into and detained in a police station have their records taken; along with suspects, from crime scenes and the list grows by 30,000 each month. The UK's database is the foremost and largest database of it's kind in the world- containing 5.2% of the country's population compared to 0.5% in the USA.Whenever a new profile is submitted the database's records are automatically searched for previous criminal records and compared to DNAs in unsolved crimes to determin if the offender is linked with any old crimes. This means that police forces all over the country can use this information to compare DNA and establish possible links between offenders and crimes no matter where they are commited; as criminals may have moved location to aviod prosecution for other crimes they have commited elsewhere. Police now also have portable fingerprint devices that record DNA information on the move so road police can submit roadside offender's for speeding or other minor crimes that do not require the individual's presence in the police station.
However although this database may ensure that the criminals are punished for all their wrongdoings and allows no criminals to lie about their records, it also has many disadvantages. For example, people who are waiting for trial are added to the system; however even if they are proved innocent and have not commited any crime they still remain present on the database and are still given the status as offenders to police around the country. The fact their DNA remains on this database can also affect their future aspirations; workplaces will often not accept any applicant who has any history of crime on their records and people may lose jobs due to this, even if they were cleared. Also, there are over 150,000 records of minor's DNA to be seen- these children are often innocent and is a major breach of privacy as they are not yet adults. DNA can also deteriorate over time and fingerprints become distorted; meaning close family members may be prosecuted wrongly. Advantages:
· Allows police to make quick connections between new DNA and old cases; leading to the completion of thousands of unsolved cases every year
· Stops people lying about their past criminal record and stores all crimes on one system
· Can be accessed all over the country by every police force in England and Wales so no matter where the crime occurs it can be added to the system
· Good for the environment; before this written records were required for each individual but now everything is stored on one system with minimal paper used
Disadvantages
· Innocent people who were placed on the system due to conviction or awaiting trial but were cleared of charges are not allowed to be removed from the system; affecting job chances and future aspirations that will not accept anyone with a criminal record
· Invasion of privacy; there are roughly 120,000 records of children aged under 18 on the system who were cautioned but no action was taken against them
Breathalysers
Drink driving in the UK is a commonly occuring offence and cause a huge risk to other motorists and pedestrians. On average 3,000 people per year are killed or seriously injured due to drunk drivers and if caught you face 6 months imprisonment, a £5000 fine and a minimum of a year driving ban; huge prices to pay for your decision to drive whilst over the limit. The limit in the UK is roughly 4 units for men and 3 units for women before driving becomes illegal. It is possilbe for this exact alcohol content to be measured in your blood (80mg alcohol/ 100ml blood), urine (107mg alcohol/ 100ml urine) or in your breath (30mg alcohol/ 100ml breath). To allow policemen to measure the alcohol content on the roadside; of motorist's they may have pulled over due to careless driving, they use breathalysers.Breathalysers cannot give a completely accurate measure of alcohol content in your breath but they can give us a pretty good idea; and they are commonly used in the UK; 1 million tests were carried out last year and 300,000 tested positive to being over the limit. This method of condemning drivers is a great benefit to other motorists who are now safer on the roads and reduce the risk of accidents due to a driver's action being marred due to the effects of alcohol. It helps the police force as they no longer have to take the motorist all the way to the police station to check their alcohol limit, and if they are below they are freed immediately reducing the amount of unecessary paperwork. It also saves the economy alot of money due to less frequent crashes and less police are called out to the scenes of accidents. Individuals who are caught with these machines however will not believe they are for the greater good as there is more chance that drink drivers will be caught and prosecuted.
Advantages:
· Reduces the number of drink drivers on our roads
· The high penalties for being caught deter drivers from taking to the road drunk
· Ensures the safety of other drivers as they are less likely to be sharing the road with people over the limit
· They reduce the number of people the police need to take to the police station and test, it can be practically done on the roadside
· People can’t pretend they are sober, the machine gives a good indication of their alcohol levels
Disadvantages
· Expensive to buy and stock all police cars with one so they can be used everywhere
· Not always accurate so if there is a possibility of being over the limit and they are taken back to the Station and further tested to be discovered they are fine is a waste of money, time and effort
· Sometimes the damage is already done before the police have time to test a subject of being over the limit
http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2010/10/bars_debate_installing_breathalyzer_machine
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