Are the recent predator schemes a step too far?

[Doone22]

I've been seeing lots on the news recently about various schemes to protect women from predators when they are outside their homes but are they going too far?

So I'm talking about schemes whereby either police patrols or AI cameras or both decide that a male is acting "inappropriately" near a woman and send someone to intervene before a crime is committed. But I really dislike the idea of this level of monitoring - we already have the most heavily filmed society in the world and big brother levels of policing what we say, even in private: because of course someone else gets to decide if we are allowed an opinion and if its the right one. Just this week it was announced yet another impediment to free speech with the Labour government going hard against criticising Islam. And who the hell decides what is inappropriate anyway?

There have been outcries before about the suggestion that science could predict who will grow up to commit crimes and intervene in the formative years to prevent it/ this doesn't seem much different but because its labelled as protecting women (sod the male victims) its ok?

On the news today the minister going out with the police patrols in Colchester was basically saying it was ok to get as drunk as you like because its society's job to keep women safe from predators. I think that's a terrible message - why abdicate all responsibility to the state? And its not a great idea for anyone to get so drunk they can't look after themselves - not just women but men put themselves in terrible danger from getting totally out of it (traffic accidents, falling in the river, getting into fights, getting assaulted). So in my mind its labelling lots of behaviour before a crime is committed but also ignoring men's safety. Why can't they call it what it is - a total invasion of privacy on the spurious assumption that AI can decide who is good and who is bad?

Change my mind - I really can't get my head around this.

There’s an excellent system being tested that monitors unusual behaviour. Pattern interruptions. I think it’s excellent. With no compromise on privacy, they can be alerted to strange movements of people and intervene if needed.

Those movements might be the kind of man who follows a woman and rubs up against her on purpose; someone placing a bomb; a group getting ready to jump or mug someone.

It isn’t only women who will be protected.

Just to add, this is just the movement of dots on a screen until they need to look closer.

I'm going out later. How much do you determine I'm able to drink before it tips the risk of assault into "likely"?

This is a genuine question... it's easy to lock your house and it's a binary action.
I didn't think "protecting yourself" was, so could you specify what that entails for me?

I think they need to concentrate on reforming the legal system first. It's an absolute mess.

Ensuring that cases are processed in a timely manner, innocent people are found not guilty and guilty people are adequately punished is a basic requirement and it's not happening at the moment.

Get that fixed to provide a real deterrent instead of gimmicky airbrushing.

Police target all sorts of resources at all sorts of specific areas, as its the best use of funding to target specific problem areas. that doesn't mean they ignore it if they see a man targetted. Butwomen are the most vulnerable and targeted by these types of attacks. So the publicity and training are going to be targeted towards that.

Only you know how much you’ll be able to drink. As for protecting yourself, well, not leaving your drink unattended, not letting a male you don’t know get you a drink? Having a taxi app to get you home? Not getting separated from your friends?

Women are not property

Completely missing the point.

I see you have all made good points - I suppose my initial reaction were twofold:
a) if the report had simply said police will be patrolling busy city centres at night to keep people feeling safe and protected I guess I wouldn't have been offended in any way
b) I am automatically suspicious when I see reports of increased surveillance and AI deciding when a potential crime is about to occur

Thank you all

The post you responded to was specifically about drinking alcohol and being drunk.

I can say any amount I like but if you feel I haven't taken appropriate steps then you won't agree that I did that.

So I'm asking you what specific level of alcohol you meant when you talked about the appropriate steps that women should take that you would consider them to have protected themselves.

But the reality is women take a lot of responsibility for their behaviour. Have you ever spoken to a rape victim and heard them talk about the guilt and shame they feel? How they often feel partly responsible? Meanwhile men often feel no responsibility for raping someone.

Nobody seen "Minority Repirt" or read 1984 then?

Did you think that in Minority Report police were simply making their presence known in situations where they could see people were acting in a threatening manner?

What did you think Samantha Morton was doing the whole time?!

No - the police were arresting and pre-judging people based on what the psychic trio "saw" "might happen ".....