Police phones spark pivacy fears

About 9000 police iPhones nationwide can now beam live video feeds directly into national police headquarters in Wellington, as part of a new centralised command centre that was opened yesterday.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush is downplaying any “Big Brother” implications, saying he has full confidence police will not abuse the legal framework on lawful surveillance.

Mr Bush and Police Minister Anne Tolley formally opened the National Command and Co-ordination Centre (NCCC) with claims that it will increase crime prevention and help towards the police goal of reducing all crime by 15 per cent.

The centre was operative for the royal visit by Prince William, his wife, Kate, and their son, Prince George, in April, and the national recall of party drugs last month.

It has large computer monitors that feature live feeds of the 30,000 calls daily to police communications centres, and a corresponding geospatial map showing where police resources are deployed in every dis- trict. Mr Bush said it enabled police to monitor blackspots for car accidents, burglaries, areas where high-priority victims live, and hotspots that show, for example, a spate of car thefts.

National headquarters could then decide to employ a more visible police presence in those areas.

Mr Bush also showcased a new capability where frontline staff use their iPhones as cameras, feeding live video into the centre. There are about 9000 constabulary staff with iPhones.

“We do that regularly . . . if there is an incident evolving, a crime scene, a motor vehicle accident, an emergency, and they can actually relay that live via Facetime from their device back to here.”

Responding to a suggestion 9000 live cameras had Big Brother implications, he said: “It’s our staff, so where our staff are, there are no issues.”