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Police plans to spy on Muslims on camera put on hold
By Ahmed J Versi
CCTV cameras distributed in Birmingham
Local councillors in Birmingham remain adamant that a controversial project to track the movement of Muslims in four wards of the city be scrapped after being told that the installation of more than 200 CCTV cameras would be up on temporary hold to allow public consultations.
Respect Councillor Salma Yacoob for Birmingham Sparkbrook, one of the wards where the cameras are due to be used, said it was “not enough” that West Midlands Police were trying to reassure the communities after being forced to admit there had been no consultations. “The cameras have to be removed. It was a huge betrayal of trust by the police. They thought they would get away it without consulting the public,” Yacoob told The Muslim News. “The installation could be illegal,” she said. “I am concerned about the whole operation not just the cameras. I am concerned that the community should be spied on in this way.”
The outcry follows the disclosure that the scheme, codenamed Project Champion, which includes 40 cameras concealed in walls and trees, was paid for by a £3 million grant from the Terrorism and Allied Matters Fund, after previously being presented as an attempt to combat antisocial behaviour, vehicle crime and drug dealing. It led to West Midlands police and Birmingham City Council issuing a joint apology for not being “more explicit” and announced that the cameras would not be activated until after a retrospective public consultation.
Lib Dem Councillor Tanveer Choudhry, Chair of the Hall Green ward, told The Muslim News that there were heated exchanges and a lot of anger from residents about why Muslims were being targeted at two constituency meetings held a fortnight ago. The delay for consultations is a “minor victory for the local communities because the police have now admitted that what they did was wrong,” Choudhry said. But he insisted that the Council “should remove the cameras and we should have a public investigation.”
The Councillor rejected the police argument that the Muslim-concentrated areas where the cameras have been installed, had high crime rates. “Statistically this is not the case. Springfield has the lowest crime rate in Birmingham. It beggars belief what they are doing,” he said. “I feel we are being victimised and stigmatised. It seems the police authority are saying we are all terrorists by ring fencing predominantly Muslim areas. This is an attack on community cohesion. The police are telling the Muslim youth ‘you are potential terrorists’,” he warned.
Yacoob was equally incensed. “They are treating Muslims as suspect community. We had refused cameras to be installed in our ward but it was totally rejected by other Councillors,” she said. “The installation of cameras is divisive and intrusive. This is clear that the cameras were installed to spy on Muslims. It was abuse of authority.”
Council minutes confirm that leading councillors were not aware of or involved in Project Champion, but the responsibility was given to the Safer Birmingham Partnership (SPB) that does not report all of its activity. The funding has remained under the management of West Midlands Police.
In its joint statement with the police and Council, the SPB said that it had heard “both positive and negative opinions” about the project but that it is “important that the facts surrounding the reasons for installing the cameras and the benefits they can bring are made clear.” Although the Counter Terrorism Unit was responsible for identifying and securing central Government funds, and have overseen the technical aspects of the installation, “the camera sites were chosen on the basis of general crime data – not just counter terrorism intelligence,” it said. While apologising for undermining public confidence in the police and Council, the statement argued that existing camera networks have brought benefits to public safety and remained confident the new sites will “further reduce crime and anti-social behaviour at all levels.” The Home Office refused to comment on what it called “police operational activities.”
Parliament is also being asked to denounce Project Champion as a “grave infringement of civil liberties” in an Early Day Motion tabled by the local Labour MP Roger Godsiff. “This is seen as moving towards a surveillance society,” Godsiff told The Muslim News. “Cameras are being used in heavy Muslim population areas paid for by the Home Office counter-terrorism,” he said. “This is too much as it is only targeted at only one community.” His motion to Parliament makes no demand for the monitoring to be abandoned only that “cameras will not be activated until these consultations have taken place and the feelings of the local communities have been made known.”
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. It is in addition to the Government’s controversial Prevent Violent Extremism programme, which the Institute of Race Relations has already castigated as “one of the most elaborate systems of surveillance ever seen in Britain.”
Prevent, set up by the Home Office over two years ago, offers additional funding to work with community groups to effectively spy on all Muslims as potential terrorists.
By Ahmed J Versi
CCTV cameras distributed in Birmingham Local councillors in Birmingham remain adamant that a controversial project to track the movement of Muslims in four wards of the city be scrapped after being told that the installation of more than 200 CCTV cameras would be up on temporary hold to allow public consultations.
Respect Councillor Salma Yacoob for Birmingham Sparkbrook, one of the wards where the cameras are due to be used, said it was “not enough” that West Midlands Police were trying to reassure the communities after being forced to admit there had been no consultations. “The cameras have to be removed. It was a huge betrayal of trust by the police. They thought they would get away it without consulting the public,” Yacoob told The Muslim News. “The installation could be illegal,” she said. “I am concerned about the whole operation not just the cameras. I am concerned that the community should be spied on in this way.”
The outcry follows the disclosure that the scheme, codenamed Project Champion, which includes 40 cameras concealed in walls and trees, was paid for by a £3 million grant from the Terrorism and Allied Matters Fund, after previously being presented as an attempt to combat antisocial behaviour, vehicle crime and drug dealing. It led to West Midlands police and Birmingham City Council issuing a joint apology for not being “more explicit” and announced that the cameras would not be activated until after a retrospective public consultation.
Lib Dem Councillor Tanveer Choudhry, Chair of the Hall Green ward, told The Muslim News that there were heated exchanges and a lot of anger from residents about why Muslims were being targeted at two constituency meetings held a fortnight ago. The delay for consultations is a “minor victory for the local communities because the police have now admitted that what they did was wrong,” Choudhry said. But he insisted that the Council “should remove the cameras and we should have a public investigation.”
The Councillor rejected the police argument that the Muslim-concentrated areas where the cameras have been installed, had high crime rates. “Statistically this is not the case. Springfield has the lowest crime rate in Birmingham. It beggars belief what they are doing,” he said. “I feel we are being victimised and stigmatised. It seems the police authority are saying we are all terrorists by ring fencing predominantly Muslim areas. This is an attack on community cohesion. The police are telling the Muslim youth ‘you are potential terrorists’,” he warned.
Yacoob was equally incensed. “They are treating Muslims as suspect community. We had refused cameras to be installed in our ward but it was totally rejected by other Councillors,” she said. “The installation of cameras is divisive and intrusive. This is clear that the cameras were installed to spy on Muslims. It was abuse of authority.”
Council minutes confirm that leading councillors were not aware of or involved in Project Champion, but the responsibility was given to the Safer Birmingham Partnership (SPB) that does not report all of its activity. The funding has remained under the management of West Midlands Police.
In its joint statement with the police and Council, the SPB said that it had heard “both positive and negative opinions” about the project but that it is “important that the facts surrounding the reasons for installing the cameras and the benefits they can bring are made clear.” Although the Counter Terrorism Unit was responsible for identifying and securing central Government funds, and have overseen the technical aspects of the installation, “the camera sites were chosen on the basis of general crime data – not just counter terrorism intelligence,” it said. While apologising for undermining public confidence in the police and Council, the statement argued that existing camera networks have brought benefits to public safety and remained confident the new sites will “further reduce crime and anti-social behaviour at all levels.” The Home Office refused to comment on what it called “police operational activities.”
Parliament is also being asked to denounce Project Champion as a “grave infringement of civil liberties” in an Early Day Motion tabled by the local Labour MP Roger Godsiff. “This is seen as moving towards a surveillance society,” Godsiff told The Muslim News. “Cameras are being used in heavy Muslim population areas paid for by the Home Office counter-terrorism,” he said. “This is too much as it is only targeted at only one community.” His motion to Parliament makes no demand for the monitoring to be abandoned only that “cameras will not be activated until these consultations have taken place and the feelings of the local communities have been made known.”
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. It is in addition to the Government’s controversial Prevent Violent Extremism programme, which the Institute of Race Relations has already castigated as “one of the most elaborate systems of surveillance ever seen in Britain.”
Prevent, set up by the Home Office over two years ago, offers additional funding to work with community groups to effectively spy on all Muslims as potential terrorists.