摘要：In researching CCTV, it must be examined how people assess CCTV measures against the background of their individual knowledge about the technology in question. Research on visual surveillance needs to ask how they sense and perceive cameras. As cameras impact on spatial images and social perceptions, such as security, people's confidence will not be explained solely by showing that cameras do or do not work in reducing crime. For that it is necessary to look at what expectations people have regarding CCTV and its possible shortcomings. These assumptions provided the research frame for a qualitative study that focused on the assessment of visual surveillance in an urban environment. The study examined what knowledge people actually had about the technology and what meaning was ascribed to the cameras themselves. It seems that knowledge does not inform the meaning, but that the ascribed meaning is generated independently of this knowledge or the lack thereof. The results permit the conclusion that forms of spatial perception that socially produce 'dangerous spaces' have gained prominence. Hazard is then directly ascribed to the spatial context itself. Thus, CCTV seems to be a suitable measure for safeguarding these 'crime hot spots' and is being used as a projection screen for fears and felt insecurities. Although an expansion of CCTV is mostly rejected in our study, CCTV measurement is seen as a suitable means to counter crime in particular spatial settings. The study indeed revealed many contradictions in the individual assessment of cameras in relation to actual knowledge and the meaning of these in relation to personal safety and spatial perception.
