[pbhjpbhj]

(I'm in the UK.)

I think there's an extra bystander effect if you know there is publicly monitored CCTV. "Why interfere and take a risk, the police know what's happening and will be on the way if it's serious".

If I see suspicious behaviour I might stop and watch, intending to intervene if necessary. If there's police nearby, then I'd point it out to them and carry on with my own business. If you think the police already know, then it seems reasonable one might carry on and ignore uncivil, unlawful, or antisocial behaviour.

There's a secondary effect, if you interfere and end up physically challenging someone then they might not even recall it a later time if they were drunk/drugged. But, if they see footage later, when sober, they might feel annoyed/angry that they were challenged and seek your prosecution.

[lkrubner]

“Stop and watch“ is still intervention. Twice I’ve broken up what seemed to be incipient fights by stopping and staring intently at the aggressor. Unless they are drunk, they don’t want to be observed. They will walk away if someone is staring at them.

[ggreer]

I've had the opposite happen. Someone tried to smash my head in with a cinder block because he thought I might take his picture.

He was never caught.

[pbhjpbhj]

This has worked for me to.

I think realising you're being observed can break one out of a cycle of escalation to. That's worked _on_ me as well.