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by Darkseid
on Sat Sep 22, 2007 5:20 am |
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'Big Brother' watching pub smokers
17/09/2007
Smokers outside Welsh pubs are being targeted by CCTV cameras and issued with on-the-spot fines for dropping their fag butts on the floor.
Denbighshire County Council is so concerned that smokers are causing increased litter outside pubs that it has taken to watching them ‘Big Brother’ style.
They are even prepared to take court action, backed by CCTV footage, against anyone who refuses to stump up the £75 on-the-spot fines.
Roly Schwarz, of the Denbighshire Community Safety Partnership, which includes the North Wales Police and the county council, told ICWAles: “CCTV is there to prevent and reduce crime.
“People know if they drop a cigarette butt we can identify them.
“We are quite happy to publicise that we will and can get evidence in lots of different ways.”
A spokesman for pro-tobacco group Forest told the website: “They are trying to extort this money from smokers because they know they can get away with it.
“I’ve never heard of CCTV being used for this before.
“They’ve only got themselves to blame for this problem. We said there should be a mix of smoking and non-smoking places before the ban came in. Then smokers would have somewhere to go where they would not bother anyone else.” |
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Darkseid
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by twillercat
on Sat Sep 22, 2007 8:57 am |
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At least they're not telling anti-smokers "hold your breath and cover your nose and mouth" when passing within six feet of smokers outdoors.
I notice no one has commented on my posting re "Health Magazine". I'd really like to see that magazine swamped with letters to its idiot editor. |
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twillercat
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by Torquemeda
on Mon Sep 24, 2007 2:25 pm |
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Roly Schwarz, of the Denbighshire Community Safety Partnership, which includes the North Wales Police and the county council, told ICWAles: “CCTV is there to prevent and reduce crime.
Imagine that, they've now turned law-abiding citizens into criminals.
Say, Darkseid, I fired you off an e-mail, don't know if you ever got it. |
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Torquemeda
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by Jay
on Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:10 pm |
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How the heck are these guys reducing crime by catching people simply smoking in a pub?
CCTV is meant to catch REAL criminals. Not smokers. |
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Jay
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Joined: Jun 10, 2003
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Location: Chicago
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by Lynda F
on Tue Sep 25, 2007 9:27 am |
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Jay,
It's not inside the pub. They are using the cameras to catch the smokers outside the pub using the sidewalk as an ashtray (since the towns and/or pub owners are NOT putting ashtrays outside I don't know what the hell they expected).
Littering is illegal, and dropping butts on the ground IS littering.
Here in Arizona, stores that used to have ashtrays in front because no smoking was allowed inside, and they didn't want people littering the front of the store, have now moved the ashtrays to the 20 foot limit defined by the ban law. However, some really stupid store owners actually removed them completely. And now [beeyotch] about the butts. Go figure. |
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Lynda F
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by Jay
on Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:52 am |
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I see so many cig butts on the ground (especially in downtown) it's not even funny. I do know ALL litterbugs should get arrested, and not just smokers. I know littering with bottles is more dangerous. Because someone can trip over a bottle and possibly hurt himself/herself.
I hope they're using that CCTV the right way if they notice REAL suspicious people outside. If they don't like the idea of people using a sidewalk as an ashtray, then the UK oughta blow up their smoking ban. |
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Jay
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by Darkseid
on Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:09 pm |
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Don't they seel Altoids in the UK? The tins they come in make a great sneaky ashtray that can be carried in yer pocket.  |
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Darkseid
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by Darkseid
on Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:12 pm |
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They did the same exact thing in oHEILo, BTW-removed all the outside ashtrays, or put them over 25 feet from where they were used-and this is, of course, all PART OF THE NAZI PLAN...then they start to call for oudoor bans due to littering, rather than ETS. Increments, remember.  |
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Darkseid
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by smallbird
on Wed Sep 26, 2007 10:44 pm |
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If there's no ash tray outside a business, I "field strip" the butt and put the filter in my pocket. I smell like old cigarettes when I go in the business, but they better not complain...I'm NOT littering.  |
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smallbird
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