2,000 CCTV Cameras Watching Hong Kong

Cheuk says cameras to be placed in high-flow areas of people

Hong Kong is getting the surveillance treatment, with 2,000 CCTV cameras that will be installed around the city this year.

Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing made the announcement, explaining the CCTV cameras will help deter crimes even though he says Hong Kong is a safe city.

"The surveillance cameras will be installed in places with a high flow of people and places evaluated as high risk by officers. But the cameras may not be put there permanently; if needed, they may be moved to other places too," he said.

"This can also improve governance at the district level. If someone wants to commit a crime, can they dodge so many surveillance cameras?"

Cheuk sayd another 600 cameras will be installed by mid-2024.

He added that while he understands some people may have privacy concerns, Cheuk's reasoning is that there are other cities with more CCTV cameras than Hong Kong.

So apparently hiring more police officers isn't enough to make the city safer so they need several hundred "electronic eyes" to watch for anything suspicious going on...