Would you feel safer walking down a street lined with facial-recognition cameras every 50 metres, or would it just feel like being watched? That is the question hosts Lee Chwi Lynn and Susan Tam put to listeners on Talkback, after Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi floated expanding high-definition CCTV with facial recognition in crime hotspots, pointing to China's high-tech policing as inspiration.

Callers and texters weigh in from every angle: the comfort of catching burglars and bag-snatchers, scepticism about Malaysia's maintenance culture and procurement history, fears of data leaks and misuse by authorities, and comparisons with China, Singapore, the UK and the US. Lee and Susan trace the tension between safety and trust, asking what accountability, enforcement and liveable cities would need to look like before more cameras actually make people feel secure.

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