British police worried Google Street View is causing a spike in burglaries

Police chiefs in Britain are advising householders to consider asking Google to blur out images of their properties in Google Street View to prevent them being targeted by criminals. The rise of Google’s Street View tool they warned has left homes across Britain vulnerable to burglars.

The Daily Telegraph reported that their argument was given a boost by John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch, who warned that Street View allows criminals to scout for easy pickings. The technology he warned could be easily misused by burglars to locate properties that are easy pickings.

Hayward-Cripps said the images easily be used to see if a home is in an environment that allows a burglar a swift exit or if there are various hiding places nearby.

He stressed that it is important that the public know their rights and can ask Google to blur out their homes on Street View.

But a Google spokesman insisted that linking Street View to burglaries was like “blaming the motor industry for crime because criminals also use getaway cars”. He said the imagery available on Street View is no different from what people can see when walking down the street themselves or when viewing images which are already widely available on a number of real estate and directory sites.

Richard Cooke, chairman of West Midlands Police Federation, said the technology was certainly a concern, reminding that the police use Street View as a tool, and one cannot exclude that criminals do too as it make their jobs easier.

As part of its terms and conditions, Google has agreed to blur out images of people and properties on request.

Homes belonging to well-known figures including Sir Paul McCartney, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and singer Katherine Jenkins have already been obscured.

Hayward-Cripps argued that if celebrities can do this citing security concerns, ordinary people should be aware that they have that right as well.”

After years of decline, burglary has suddenly seen a sharp upturn with more than 400,000 crimes recorded last year – around half of which took place at people’s homes.
A number of burglars in the US have been convicted after allegedly using Street View to look for targets.
Via The Daily Telegraph