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One of the CCTV cameras put up to discourage gay lewd behaviour |
CCTV crackdown on gay sex at pond
Cameras at toilet to deter ‘lewd behaviour’
GAY men who indulge in “lewd behaviour” at the Men’s swimming pond could be prosecuted, under a new crackdown by Heath chiefs.
The City of London confirmed this week that two cameras have been installed by the toilet block in the Men’s Pond – one on the outside and one at the entrance of the toilets – to deter “anti-social behaviour”.
Heath chiefs said footage from the cameras would be checked by staff and used as evidence if the City of London needed to take any further action. It is a criminal offence to engage in sex in a public toilet.
But the move, which follows several complaints of “lewd behaviour” taking place inside the toilets, was condemned by some swimmers as an invasion of privacy – and a “dangerous precedent” for the Heath.
Robert Sutherland Smith, chairman of the United Swimmers Association, said: “There are cameras everywhere these days. I do not want to live in a surveillance society. Homosexual conduct has been with us since time began. My greater concern is that I can’t go for a swim without all this information being collected about me.
“What are they planning to do with the footage? Are they planning to use the cameras elsewhere on the Heath? It seems to me that this raises many questions.”
Tony Ghilchik, who represents the Heath and Hampstead Society on the Heath’s management committee, described the move as “sad but necessary”.
He said: “It has become necessary because of the complaints they get about some of the activities that go on in there. I don’t like CCTV but you do see that in some cases it’s necessary. In an ideal world, people would respect each other but this is not always the case.”
A City of London spokeswoman said that Heath chiefs had installed the cameras after raising the issue at a meeting of the Sexual Activities Working Group last year.
The group includes representatives of the Camden Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender forum (LGBT), the Terence Higgins Trust, the Met Police and the Heath constabulary.
She said: “While the pond area and toilets are patrolled and staff and the Heath constabulary respond to complaints of inappropriate behaviour, during the busy summer season resources can get stretched.
“Proposals of CCTV were put forward by the group who cited it as a successful deterrent for anti-social behaviour in other parts of London, including the West End.
“As a result, two cameras were installed. Neither look into the men’s toilet or the nude bathing area.
“The aim is to stop anti-social behaviour from taking place inside the toilets.
“As this is an operational management issue there was no requirement to raise it with either the consultative or management committees”.
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