Recent acts of terrorism are surprising unsuspecting nations all over the world, and it is not an act that will soon be outdated, but rather a new guerilla warfare that is gaining popularity among its supporters. In the early '90's the United Kingdom suffered violent terrorist attacks by the hands of the IRA, which used fear as its main tactic to disturb the lives of innocent people. In response to those attacks, the United Kingdom decided to implement a closed circuit security system of cameras in public places, with the hope of better securing their major cities against further terrorist acts.
In 1994, 79 British cities were monitoring their central districts with a network of surveillance cameras. By 1998, 440 cities were wired. From 1996 to 1998, three-quarters of the Home Office's Crime Prevention budget was spent on CCTV cameras. (Blake)
The controversy now remains in the question as to whether or not CCTV is effective, as well as "citizen friendly". …
