The cost of "Big Brother government" is costing almost £20bn to
create, says The TaxPayers Alliance
in a report.
This amount works out at almost £800 per household and includes
spending on the introduction of ID cards (£19bn), CCTV (£500m), and
the DNA database (£300m).
It also includes "Chip and bin" refuse schemes and the misuse of
anti-terror laws by local authorities to snoop on citizens
(£68m).
The TaxPayers Alliance says, "A real boost to counter-terrorism
efforts could be made by spending a fraction of the £20bn on
schemes that would have real, tangible benefits at little or no
cost to taxpayers."
These measures include the introduction of a national border
police force that would record when people enter and leave the
country. The Government has estimated that it would cost £104m a
year to provide 24-hour cover at all ports of entry to the UK.
The Alliance is also calling for the replacement of CCTV with
improved street lighting. This could be funded entirely from the
savings made by reducing the number of CCTV cameras.
It also wants the allowance of intercept evidence in court ,
which would "represent a negligible cost".
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