Photos: Video cameras keep watch in London

Widespread surveillance is a fact of life for British citizens, monitored by thousands of video and still cameras as they go about their daily business in public locales. Government officials have long touted the cameras' role in fighting crime, and closed-circuit video gear was helpful in identifying suspects in the July 2005 bombing of the London Underground. Privacy advocates, however, say the systems go too far in their unrelenting oversight of individuals engaged in innocent activities.

This photo shows the special operations room of London's Metropolitan Police on Monday--New Year's Eve--when the law enforcement agency was on high alert for criminal behavior.