You can install cameras in a way that you only film the parts relevant for potential break ins. In my country this is demanded by law. So not directing cameras on public streets or other properties.

Aside from that, camera necessity isn't real, affordable cameras for mass deployment are perhaps not recent, but there certainly were other ways in the past to handle crime.

There are other ways than motorised vehicles to travel between cities too, however they're inefficient.

Cameras are an incredibly good way to handle crime. Modern cameras have excellent object detection, can notify on unexpected movements in zones, and often come with backup batteries and offline storage. Many can read numberplates in the dark, and many crimes are solved by a neighbours camera catching a car driving off from the crime scene.

The context here is around a boss potentiall watching their employee via camera (with lewd inference). Directing cameras internal to the business wouldn't change this issue.