Litterbugs and vandals are due for a shout in the UK, as the government plans to install CCTV cameras with loudspeakers in 20 areas around the country.
Home Secretary John Reid says the 'talking' cameras will allow security staff to berate people spotted littering, fighting or defacing property, but critics say the idea is another step towards the UK becoming a 'surveillance society'.
The UK is the most watched country in the world, with an estimated 4.2m CCTV cameras, or one for every 14 people.
Planned identity cards and a national computer database of personal details are attracting increased criticism from civil libertarians.
'More and more information is being collected,' said Information Commissioner Richard Thomas. 'Humans must dictate our future, not machines.'
Liberal Democrat party leader Menzies Campbell accused the government earlier this year of 'snooping' into every part of people's lives.
The UK is spending nearly €740,000 to pay for the new speaker-cameras after a trial in Middlesbrough. Council chiefs there claim the cameras have helped cut down on crime.
'Talking CCTV is another tool in creating safer communities," Mr Reid said in a statement. 'It uses modern technology to allow camera operators to speak directly to people on the streets to stop or prevent them acting anti-socially.'
