UK Police Enlist Gamers to Catch Crooks, Form Combine

combine
Now here’s something you don’t see every day. Apparently, the British Police are developing a video game in which ordinary citizens can look through the lenses of actual CCTV cameras and try to catch a crime in progress. If they do see some shifty stuff going down, they just have to click their mouse and the operator on the receiving end is sent a text message including a picture of the alleged dirty deed.

Called Internet Eyes (Eagle Eye was taken), this web-based initiative will launch next month in a town called Stratford-upon-Avon. The site for the game has a “Hall of Fame” for the caught criminals, and will offer £1,000 to the most successful sleuth.

This raises all sorts of questions about, first off all, how the Police determines that something is actually a crime, and not just someone who locked their keys in their car. This system is open to abuse that way, where a griefer (and you know there will be griefers), will spam the site with a whole bunch of pictures of nothing. While I’m sure there are contingency plans in place to deal with potential problems, this might backfire in a pretty spectacular way.

I still think it’s a neat idea, just not one without its possible pitfalls. But, what do you guys think? Is this a brilliant scheme by the British Police, or does this cross a line? Can you see something like this spreading around the globe?

Source: Destructoid

Written by

mitch@gamersushi.com Twitter: @mi7ch Gamertag: Lubeius PSN ID: Lubeius SteamID: Mister_L Origin/EA:Lube182 Currently Playing: PUBG, Rainbow 6: Siege, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Total War: Warhammer 2

9 thoughts on “UK Police Enlist Gamers to Catch Crooks, Form Combine”

  1. cool idea, but i believe that its gonna be:
    1. supa boringggggggg
    2. griefed to kingdom come
    3. not all that effective
    4. taken advantage of by a couple individual people/groups to milk it for money if it works how I think it is

  2. I was waiting for a police force to enlist the help of gamers for crimes. I honestly believe that kids today will be anti-hackers and internet investigators when they grow up. While this is an awesome idea to pursue, DO NOT ENLIST THE HELP OF GRIEFERS. If UK Police want to formally hire gamers who want to become sleuths, that’s fantastic, but regular people are not as effective. They aren’t as stable a source of sentries, you’re going to have to deal with griefers, and it might backfire with the people watching the cameras helping out the criminals. Besides, most criminals will most likely take into account the fact that they’re being watched. I foresee 1984, people.
    So hire the good people, forget about the regular folks. This is why we don’t encourage vigilantism.

  3. I think it’s great, but it will have it’s drawbacks…

    Also, who knows why this is connected to the Half-Life 2 beta storyline? (I do! I do!)
    First one to give out the correct answer gains 10 internets

  5. Well, it’s extremely ironic considering how many of us PC Gamers are actually criminals ourselves. Pirates catching lesser-pirates? INTRIGUING!

    I think this is a sweet idea, but like you pointed out, there’s a high chance of hooliganary and general pooflinging.

  6. Boy oh boy, I think this’ll make us used to the Combine monitoring our lives when that finally happens. Well, whatever.

    I think this system will fail… And that is sounds PRECISELY like Manhacks… minius the hacking.

  7. [quote comment=”8675″]And that is sounds PRECISELY like Manhacks… minius the hacking.[/quote]

    so.. Mans?

  9. “Also, who knows why this is connected to the Half-Life 2 beta storyline? (I do! I do!)”

    …Manhack Arcade? *hopes*

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