More and more steps are taken to improve security measures in urban areas in many countries due to the increasing crime rates. Does the benefits of this outweigh its drawbacks? v.1

With an increase in the crime-rate in big cities, the government has ramped up security measures here which some people believe has drawbacks. This essay will argue that the benefits of such effort outweigh the disadvantages. This essay will first explain that these measures have discouraged criminals and allowed people to explore public spaces more safely, followed by how the argument that this intervenes with their freedom is not as extreme. The rise in security efforts like cameras to monitor public places has deterred the criminals because they know that they are being watched. With this fear of being caught, illegal activities have surely declined as compared to the past. For example, The New York Times reported that since 2010 after the installation of camera in remote alleys, the rate of muggings has diminished by almost 40%. Moreover, with the increased sense of safety among the people, they are encouraged to enjoy late night social gatherings without any fear. This has positively flourished lot of leisure businesses like restaurants, bars and night clubs. For example, In Chicago the business of night clubs has shot up by 50% in the last decade. On the contrary, many people argue that the increase in police watch is an unfair interference. They feel that being watched round the clock does not give the public their personal space and make them uncomfortable because their private moments are being recorded. However, this is a baseless scare because the private places are not under surveillance and hence people can still enjoy their intimate time freely. For instance, in restaurants only the general areas like receptions has an oversight. Dinner booths are not being watched. In conclusion, heightened security has declined criminal conduct and has given an opportunity to the people to celebrate freely which has given a boost to businesses. Hence these merits overshadow an unsubstantiated fright of the surveillance of private places.