The guards due to 18 reports of pocket theft

There has been a big increase in pocket theft in downtown Reykjavik and security cameras, so -called watchdogs, have been placed on Skólavörðustíg and at Hallgrímskirkja, to counter the problems, as reported this weekend.

Guðmundur Pétur Guðmundsson, a police officer with the police in the capital area, says he has 18 cases since April and May where pocket theft has been reported to the police. He says it is a big increase since last year as the cases were a few.

Police’s experimental task

Guðmundur says the police’s pilot projects over the summer, which is the high season of tourists. The cameras should have the determination of pocket thieves and increase the sense of safety of tourists and citizens. However, it is not possible to build more watches in the town.

Asked if the cameras are due to increased downtown violence, he says it is not the main reason for the Watchtower. The guards are only set up for pocket theft, but will be useful to the police in all cases.

However, the two watchdogs that the police have set up are not the only such watchdogs that have been installed in Reykjavik. More examples are that they have been installed by private parties, such as construction sites. Thus, such towers have been installed in Bakkahverfi in Breiðholt and at Snorrabraut.

Privacy not informed about the nature of the towers

Helga Þórisdóttir, CEO of the Data Protection Authority, says she does not know more about the watchdog than what has been stated in the media. Asked if she thinks the Watchtower is in accordance with the Privacy Act, she says people need to know who the guarantor is and how the towers are being monitored for the towers to comply with the law. She says security camera installation does not necessarily have to go to the privacy, but the guarantors need to process personal information about other people properly.

Helga says the question of the towers is about whether the guarantor with the towers is and the manner in which monitoring is carried out. This information needs to be accessible to people on their way through areas where electronic monitoring is carried out, for example with a tower label. Companies need to pay particular attention to how public sector monitoring is carried out.

The installation of cameras is often in security and property. Helga generally says a willingness to go a long way in ensuring the security of people and ownership, but it is always an interest assessment how far to go when it comes to citizens’ personal information.

Helga says the watchdogs are a new type of monitoring that the Data Protection Authority will have more information on.