Electronic surveillance continues to play a central but often unobserved role in contemporary Western societies and
attempts to police them. This paper focuses on closed circuit television (CCTV) footage and its technological
implications, particularly relating infrastructure and data storage and integrity. While CCTV might appear attractive
in augmenting law enforcement systems, the authors argue that the debate on use of CCTV in crime prevention remains
incomplete without an effective understanding of the diverse costs. This discussion reveals startling ICT resource needs
and associated costs, together with very specific technological capacity. These contribute significantly to the costs of
such systems, reinforcing the authors’ argument that CCTV is no golden bullet for law enforcement
