Taipei City councilor says police ignore spy cameras

A Taipei City Councilor yesterday lambasted the Taipei police for failing to stem the unauthorized use of pinhole cameras to make pornographic DVDs.

Referring to the availability of pinhole cameras, DPP city councilor Wang Po-yu (王博昱) asked the police to acquire more up-to-date detection devices, "in order to effectively strengthen public security and to protect the general public, especially women, from being victimized by hidden cameras," Wang said at a press conference.

According to Wang, police made arrests in only seven cases involving the illegal use of the cameras. "The police haven't made any arrests regarding the use of unauthorized pinhole cameras this year," he said.

"Judging from the many pornographic DVDs on the market that were produced with hidden pinhole cameras, [I have to ask] what have the Taipei City Police been doing?"

"To prevent women from becoming the victims of electronic Peeping Toms, the police as well as that the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) ought to equip themselves with compatible detection devices so they can find and remove illegal pinhole cameras," Wang said.

Wang displayed various pinhole cameras and related detection devices to illustrate how easy it is for anyone to buy the devices.

"There are even water-proof cameras that allow some [individuals] to install them in pools or saunas and take shots without the consent of their subjects," Wang said.

According to Wang, shots taken from these tiny devices usually end up in pornographic DVDs.

To support his remarks, Wang showed some footage from one of the DVDs at the press conference. Wang said that the illegal DVDs, which often feature shots of couples making out at parks, female customers changing clothes at boutiques and at public restrooms, are easy to obtain on the market.

Though no representatives from the Taipei City Police Headquarters attended Wang's press conference to offer an explanation, Hsu Yung-chuan (許永春), the headquarters' media relations officer, told the Taipei Times that police headquarters would gather further information before making any comments.

In response to Wang's remarks, Yen Bang-chien (顏邦傑), spokesman of the TRTC, said that the TRTC has not detected any hidden pinhole cameras on its premises since strengthening its surveillance around MRT stations last year.

"Aside from having MRT security patrols around MRT stations daily, we also periodically check through all MRT restrooms and corners every two to three days for hidden cameras."

Yen said that MRT passengers are generally safe from being victimized because it is almost impossible for anyone to install pinhole cameras in MRT restrooms since all the restrooms are cleaned hourly and would be spotted by cleaning crews.

"I must admit it is difficult to guard against such acts if the perpetrators are using mobile cameras," Yen said. He also called on all passengers, especially females, to be vigilant.

"Don't hesitate to report suspicious behavior to MRT security right away," he said.