Bamford calls for better deployment of CCTV

CCTV operators across the UK have been issued a stark warning by the Information Commissioner’s Office: “If you don’t comply with the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, the long term support of the public for surveillance monitoring will be lost.”

The advice follows hot-on-the-heels of the December publication of the Information Commissioner’s report ‘Public Attitudes to the Deployment of Surveillance Techniques in Public Places’, which duly highlights the fact that CCTV is popular with most people where it’s used as an anti-crime measure.

Members of the public who took part in the Sharpe Research survey identified a number of factors – such as proper security and restrictions on disclosure – as being essential to ensuring the effective regulation of CCTV. These are in line with the Information Commissioner’s Best Practice guidelines on CCTV, and the legally enforceable eight principles listed within the Data Protection Act 1998 that ensure correct handling of captured information.

Speaking about the research, assistant Information Commissioner Jonathan Bamford told SMT: “This report shows that CCTV is generally popular with the public. However, to maintain that popularity and the public’s trust in surveillance monitoring, operators must ensure that cameras are only used for their proper purpose.” Bamford continued: “Many of those organisations using CCTV, such as the larger retailers and local Councils, are processing personal data. On that basis, they have to comply with the eight principles of the Data Protection Act 1998.”

Under the terms of the Act, data must: be fairly and lawfully processed, processed for limited purposes, adequate, relevant and not excessive, accurate and up-to-date, not kept longer than is necessary, processed in accordance with an individual’s rights, secure and not transferred outside of the European Economic Area unless the country has protection for the individual.