Many Surveillance Cameras Are 'Fake', Bangkok Authorities Admit

[webfact]

Not all new city cameras are real

By The Nation

Among the 20,000 surveillance cameras going up around Bangkok, about 500 are "fake", city authorities admitted yesterday.

The "dummy cameras" were the result of a budget shortfall in implementing the policy of then governor Apirak Kosayodhin to install an initial batch of 10,000 surveillance/traffic cameras, deputy Bangkok governor Theerachon Manomaiphibool said.

A posting on the online community at www.Pantip.com had uncovered the discrepancy.

He did not say whose idea it was to install the dummy ones, or how many units were short of the total of 10,000.

The measure was designed to discourage rioters and protesters from committing crimes during political rallies in the past few years, he said.

Suthon Anakul, a senior Bangkok Metropolitan Administration official, said the BMA had lied to the public when it said the footage requested by police or those in need was not available because certain cameras were broken or out of use.

"But now that the public is aware of the dummy cameras' existence, I would like to apologise for this," he said.

"Installation of the remaining units in the first 10,000 is underway, and there will be 20,000 cameras installed by next year," he added.

-- The Nation 2011-09-20

[jonclark]

Thailand hub of fake cameras !!! huba huba huba

[Soutpeel]

Many countries do exactly the same thing, except they dont advertise/admit to it..

[taff33]

Send the police from the the 100 million baht raid on south Pattaya to Bangkok they'll sort it out.

[meatboy]

now everyone will know, i thought it was illegal to manufacter fake goods.

[Atmos]

^Google fake security camera followed by whatever country you are from . . . think you'll find they are sold globally.

Hardly anything new in the concept, eg sets of 4 real accompanied by 4 dummy cameras as a cost saver.

[IAMSOBAD]

Dummy cameras+Dummy Government=Miracle Thailand

[ginjag]

Dummy cameras+Dummy Government=Miracle Thailand

My idea is that they paid top money for them, and pocketed 90% of the price, knowing they were fake, and now someone has just realised and tried to make out they were bought as fakes.

[bendejo]

It doesn't matter really. The cameras used in all this monitoring, anywhere, usually produce images with not enough detail to make positive identification. A farce, the only ones getting anything out of it are the ones selling the surveillance systems.

Ask anyone who has been the victim of a crime where the evidence would have been surveillance footage.

[Soutpeel]

Hardly anything new in the concept, eg sets of 4 real accompanied by 4 dummy cameras as a cost saver.

The new concept is that a goverment department is actually admitting it...

[Payboy]

Hardly anything new in the concept, eg sets of 4 real accompanied by 4 dummy cameras as a cost saver.

The new concept is that a goverment department is actually admitting it...

Could it be because the dummy cameras were set-up by an earlier regime?

Edited September 20, 2011 by Payboy

[Soutpeel]

Hardly anything new in the concept, eg sets of 4 real accompanied by 4 dummy cameras as a cost saver.

The new concept is that a goverment department is actually admitting it...

Could it be because the dummy cameras were set-up by an earlier regime?

Good point never thougt of that..

[rametindallas]

Hardly anything new in the concept, eg sets of 4 real accompanied by 4 dummy cameras as a cost saver.

The new concept is that a goverment department is actually admitting it...

Could it be because the dummy cameras were set-up by an earlier regime?

You are so right. The current government would never involve itself in corrupt practices. lol

[webfact]

BKK governor affirms no corruption in 100,000 CCTVs installation; ready to tackle overflow of Chao Phraya River in capital /TAN_Network

[jimbeam1]

^Google fake security camera followed by whatever country you are from . . . think you'll find they are sold globally.

Hardly anything new in the concept, eg sets of 4 real accompanied by 4 dummy cameras as a cost saver.

In the uk, they put dummy police?? On top of motorway flyovers Apparently it worked?

jb1

[whybother]

^Google fake security camera followed by whatever country you are from . . . think you'll find they are sold globally.

Hardly anything new in the concept, eg sets of 4 real accompanied by 4 dummy cameras as a cost saver.

In the uk, they put dummy police?? On top of motorway flyovers Apparently it worked?

jb1

"dummy police" The first word is redundant.

[Arkady]

Fake noses, fake tits, fake eyes, fake handbags, fake car parts, fake medicines, fake cops, fake electoral promises, fake voters, fake security cameras, fake everything.

[inquisitive]

Many countries do exactly the same thing, except they dont advertise/admit to it..

That's interesting. I don't dispute your statement, but I was wondering if you could name a few of those countries and what your souece of information is. Thanks.

[inquisitive]

Not to make an issue of this, but the photo that accompanies the OP does not show a dummy camera, but rather a missing camera. It appears to be a photo of an empty camera housing. And a non-existant camera probably costs even less than a fake one. No? This doesn't change the issue but only its magnitude. The skeptical among us probably will continue to think that our upstanding and fearless leaders simply pocketed the money budgeted for the missing hardware. But that would be unbelievable. Right?

[RichardinBKK]

Fake noses, fake tits, fake eyes, fake handbags, fake car parts, fake medicines, fake cops, fake electoral promises, fake voters, fake security cameras, fake everything.

I am happy to offer you a "real" ride to the airport if you are ready to go back to your fantastic country that has none of these issues. Please, do tell us..where is it?

Oh, to heck with it, let me sweeten the offer. If you can convince us that there is such a place, I will pay for the plane ticket too!

What a piece of hell it must be to be so unhappy, and live in such an awful place. Remind us, why are you still here? Are you an important player in an International company that insists you suffer here? Are you a secret agent man assigned to Thailand? Are you destitute and can not afford a ticket home? Are you chained to the toilet? Why do you stay here?

[Soutpeel]

Many countries do exactly the same thing, except they dont advertise/admit to it..

That's interesting. I don't dispute your statement, but I was wondering if you could name a few of those countries and what your souece of information is. Thanks.

The UK for one and my information comes from someone in the "business" ....

[Soutpeel]

Fake noses, fake tits, fake eyes, fake handbags, fake car parts, fake medicines, fake cops, fake electoral promises, fake voters, fake security cameras, fake everything.

I am happy to offer you a "real" ride to the airport if you are ready to go back to your fantastic country that has none of these issues. Please, do tell us..where is it?

Oh, to heck with it, let me sweeten the offer. If you can convince us that there is such a place, I will pay for the plane ticket too!

What a piece of hell it must be to be so unhappy, and live in such an awful place. Remind us, why are you still here? Are you an important player in an International company that insists you suffer here? Are you a secret agent man assigned to Thailand? Are you destitute and can not afford a ticket home? Are you chained to the toilet? Why do you stay here?

oh well that only took 20 posts before someone come up with the original comment of.... "if you dont like it...you can leave".......

[just_another_guy]

Fake noses, fake tits, fake eyes, fake handbags, fake car parts, fake medicines, fake cops, fake electoral promises, fake voters, fake security cameras, fake everything.

You forget one------Fake smiles :rolleyes:

[FOODLOVER]

Fake noses, fake tits, fake eyes, fake handbags, fake car parts, fake medicines, fake cops, fake electoral promises, fake voters, fake security cameras, fake everything.

I am happy to offer you a "real" ride to the airport if you are ready to go back to your fantastic country that has none of these issues. Please, do tell us..where is it?

Oh, to heck with it, let me sweeten the offer. If you can convince us that there is such a place, I will pay for the plane ticket too!

What a piece of hell it must be to be so unhappy, and live in such an awful place. Remind us, why are you still here? Are you an important player in an International company that insists you suffer here? Are you a secret agent man assigned to Thailand? Are you destitute and can not afford a ticket home? Are you chained to the toilet? Why do you stay here?

Well it's quite obvious why they stay. They are chained to the toilet!

[TAWP]

And in the end the cameras are NOT used for the protection of the people. Cameras has never been proven to prevent any crimes.

[thaicon]

Not to make an issue of this, but the photo that accompanies the OP does not show a dummy camera, but rather a missing camera. It appears to be a photo of an empty camera housing. And a non-existant camera probably costs even less than a fake one. No? This doesn't change the issue but only its magnitude. The skeptical among us probably will continue to think that our upstanding and fearless leaders simply pocketed the money budgeted for the missing hardware. But that would be unbelievable. Right?

If they had ordered all the fake cameras to be manufactured in say Taiwan or China (I can't see the Thais being capable of such a feat),

they would cost more than the dummy cameras, as there are no electronics etc in a dummy camera; but a fake camera is actually a camera,

it's manufactured to look and work like a real one - except it would be crap like a pair of fake Nike trainers - but cheaper.

The dummy cameras are presumably simpler to make, and as a result could be manufactured in Thailand as there are no complex components,

therefore a lot cheaper than the fakes (they wouldn't have been bought by the government as 'fakes' for obvious reasons.

So, its more likely that they made more money from the deal by purchasing dummy cameras within their own borders.

Maybe, just maybe, they saved even more money and bought fake dummy cameras!

And lastly, who's to say that the other half of the total are not 'fake' as well, or 'dummy'.

[hungryhippo]

A farce, the only ones getting anything out of it are the ones selling the surveillance systems.

Ask anyone who has been the victim of a crime where the evidence would have been surveillance footage.

Not true. If the criminal is caught at the scene then there is footage to back up said crime, otherwise most cases would be a "he said, she said" situation.

Ed: spelling

Edited September 20, 2011 by hungryhippo

[noitom]

Dummy cameras+Dummy Government=Miracle Thailand

My idea is that they paid top money for them, and pocketed 90% of the price, knowing they were fake, and now someone has just realised and tried to make out they were bought as fakes.

But who was the "last greater fool" here? Who was the last man standing who came up a loser on this deal? The farang company, the low pecking order Thai, the Thai gov offical who approved it, and never got his skim because the fakes were installed and some contractor reneged on the vigorish? I remember reading a few years ago about fire sprinklers that fell off the ceiling in about seven schools clustered in the same area. What really surprises me is that they didn't find that only 500 were real and 19,500 were fake. Thailand keeps improving its ability to scale, but needs to keep practicing. Common Thailand, you can do it, scale up to 85% fraud - you can do it. Don't let the girls of Thailand show you how to run the backbone of the economy.- keep it up.

[Grove]

Not to make an issue of this, but the photo that accompanies the OP does not show a dummy camera, but rather a missing camera. It appears to be a photo of an empty camera housing. And a non-existant camera probably costs even less than a fake one. No? This doesn't change the issue but only its magnitude. The skeptical among us probably will continue to think that our upstanding and fearless leaders simply pocketed the money budgeted for the missing hardware. But that would be unbelievable. Right?

If they had ordered all the fake cameras to be manufactured in say Taiwan or China (I can't see the Thais being capable of such a feat),

they would cost more than the dummy cameras, as there are no electronics etc in a dummy camera; but a fake camera is actually a camera,

it's manufactured to look and work like a real one - except it would be crap like a pair of fake Nike trainers - but cheaper.

The dummy cameras are presumably simpler to make, and as a result could be manufactured in Thailand as there are no complex components,

therefore a lot cheaper than the fakes (they wouldn't have been bought by the government as 'fakes' for obvious reasons.

So, its more likely that they made more money from the deal by purchasing dummy cameras within their own borders.

Maybe, just maybe, they saved even more money and bought fake dummy cameras!

And lastly, who's to say that the other half of the total are not 'fake' as well, or 'dummy'.

I would say the camera housing on the pick will cost in the region of 10 000 Baht ( for the government obviously). The first 2 meters of the cable, ( If its real) would probably cost more than the camera ( recording unit) itself.

As you said, why put a masterpiece dummy if you can do the real deal for a fraction more.

Happy viewing.

[MILT]

It doesn't matter really. The cameras used in all this monitoring, anywhere, usually produce images with not enough detail to make positive identification. A farce, the only ones getting anything out of it are the ones selling the surveillance systems.

Ask anyone who has been the victim of a crime where the evidence would have been surveillance footage.

I agree it doesn't really matter because of the reason you stated already. However we have cameras installed at our business that produce a decent enough image even at night. We were able to catch the thief who broke into our business a few months ago by giving the police the surveillance footage and now that person is sitting in jail. They work sometimes but again most images are useless.