Work related access to a security room in a small shopping mall in melbournes east. Coverage of the Coles was the primary focus.
Shoppers would be surprised at the level of surveillance. You are always monitored on a screen but you may be closely scrutinised, followed and replayed by a security monitor. I was struck by how high def and how zoomed in the monitors are and how bizarre it is that I was watching women, children, granny's etc who were oblivious to their performance.
I've been aware that cctv was monitored but i can't see how anyone who saw what i saw could experience walking around a coles as anything but intimidating and unnerving. They are legally ok but it is still shocking.
The main focus now is on the self checkouts. They pass a blind eye over the small stuff but they are nabbing ppl all the time.
As public and private spaces become more surveiled i think one is forced to adopt an attitude that the cameras and the people behind the cameras are just make believe. Otherwise you could go mad. I can here the puritans say "if you've done nothing wrong than yo've got nothing to hide"!!!
I heard the cameras are so high def that they can zoom 20 metres away uo close to even what your mobile phone screen is showing