Energy supplier Flogas, have come up with the Escapists’ Paradise* — a list of the most private cities in the UK. After reviewing 60 UK cities, each was rated on the number of CCTV cameras publicly owned in each area, the population of each area, where the terms ‘secluded’ and ‘hidden’ are most frequently used on TripAdvisor, and how connected and accessible each area is.
Regarding the CCTV element and which cities in the UK are home to the most security cameras – using a system where each of the 60 areas are given an overall score out of 100, with 0 meaning a city has a higher number of security cameras, the following UK destinations are revealed as the top five on the list.
Escapists’ Paradise – CCTV cities
1. London: 0/100)
Topping the list, with a score of 0 for CCTV, is of course, London. As the capital city of England, London and its 32 boroughs are home to the most security cameras. With the responsibility of being the largest city in the country, also comes the responsibility to be the safest, at least from the point of view of protection in the form of video footage that is recorded 24/7.
It’s estimated that there’s one CCTV camera for every 14 people in The Big Smoke, which is approximately 628,000 security cameras.
2. Birmingham (87/100)
Closely following London in terms of security cameras is Birmingham – the second largest city in the UK. Although it’s no surprise to see them take second place, the fact they scored 87 compared to London’s 0, may well be a talking point.
In 2018, Birmingham was deemed the most unsafe city in the UK according to research that surveyed 2,000 people. But with Covid-19 still the main concern for residents, it could be the lack of a face mask that sees more CCTV installed within the city.
In the same year it was estimated that there would be 100,000 CCTV cameras in Birmingham by 2020. In the city centre, there’s approximately 380 different security cameras, with 27 public space cameras operating within the city centre.
3. Liverpool (89/100)
In third place, we have Liverpool. Famed for its music scene and football clubs, the city situated on Merseyside is just behind Birmingham when it comes to CCTV use. It’s interesting to see Liverpool this high up, considering it’s the sixth most populated urban city in the UK – based on 2019 figures.
Above other urban areas, like Leeds and Manchester for CCTV, the city is a hotspot for tourists, which may be behind it’s greater focus on security cameras – although nothing in comparison to London.
Figures in 2016 suggested that 352 cameras were operated in Liverpool, with this number likely to increase as the years go by.
4. Nottingham (90/100)
Nottingham, with a population of just under 800,000 residents, is fourth on the list. To be more precise, there are 198 cameras covering Nottingham City. 164 of these are monitored with operatives in direct communication with Nottinghamshire Police. The remaining 34 require the operator to dial into the camera to view and airtime is used for live viewings.
These are important for local authorities and their partnerships to address crime, anti-social behaviour and improve security.
5. Sheffield (91/100)
The last destination on our round-up is Sheffield. The Steel City as its known. Also Famous for Sean Bean, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, the city situated in South Yorkshire is part of “God’s own country”.
The only Yorkshire location in the top five, Sheffield scores 91 out of 100, meaning it takes advantage of CCTV usage, but with a population of 730,000 it isn’t as reliant as London.
An article from 2018 states that 102 active cameras were in operation within the city of Sheffield.
And that is the top five cities in the UK with the most CCTV. If you were wondering where is in last place, it’s St. David’s in Wales — with a population of 1,600 and a score of 100 on the Escapists’ Paradise list for security cameras. *All the data can be downloaded at The Escapists Paradise
