The Wardman Wire

“Manc_ill_kid” has been down to Cornhill to document the CCTV Cameras, all of which should have records available to the investigation into the death of Ian Tomlinson.

The full size version has been placed on Flick-R at Ill and Ancient:

Ill and Ancient notes that the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) said on Channel 4:

I was pretty sure I could see some CCTV cameras on google streetview despite Hardwick, some chap from the IPCC saying there was no CCTV in the area of the attack on Ian Tomlinson.

(Nick Hardwick is the Chairman of the IPCC.)

They are on Google Streetview? It’s not hard to find them then. I’d also hope that alongside all the other databases somewhere the Police or the City of London have one of where they keep a list of their cameras. Ill and Ancient has done his own survey:

I went along with my wee camera and found one pointing directly at the site of the attack over the heads of the existing photographers and footage, another at the other end of the street point at the back of the attack and also the mont blanc shop’s CCTV which may have caught something.

The Whole Truth and Nothing But … er … Not Today

Channel 4 Reported: on April 9th, i.e., a full 48 hours after the Guardian published video asking awkward questions, and a whole Hardwick said of the assault:

“We don’t have CCTV footage of the incident… there is no CCTV footage, there were no cameras in the location where he was assaulted.”

Speaking to More 4 News, the IPCC confirmed Hardwick’s comment, saying that the CCTV cameras overlooking the incident were not working.

That’s not impressive, and is a full 3 days after the IPCC’s first Press Release on the subject – when they were already talking about CCTV. Tthey should have had their ducks in a row on a case of this profile.

Conspiracy theorists and thorough investigators would add:

Why was the CCTV not working?

Was it broken or not maintained?

What happened?

Why was CCTV at a demonstration categorised as possibly violent for weeks not checked or mended?

Who was responsible?

Lib Dem Voice noted that before it came out that Ian Tomlinson, the Metropolitan Police had been boasting about the effectiveness of their shiny CCTV Cameras and how good the CCTV coverage had been that they had in their possesion:

Commander Simon O’Brien, of the Met, said small pockets of criminals among the 4,000-strong crowd were to blame for the trouble yesterday…

“There were small groups charging forwards and backwards into police lines. It did seem to us, from CCTV and police on the scene, that they tried to find a way to ramp up the protest and hijack it into violence.”

O’Brien said police had collected footage from helitelly, the force’s nickname for CCTV from powerful helicopter cameras, adding that those identified should expect a “knock on the door”.

Tale your pick: cock-up, incompetence, or conspiracy.

Wrapping Up

Perhaps someone will find the footage on a train, or walk through Downing Street with it under their arm.

We all need to keep an eye on it in the meantime.