Many owners, managers and operators of CCTV schemes remain unaware that it's a criminal offence to use an unregistered surveillance scheme in a public place.
As we've stated in SMT ('Private Eyes', August 2002, pp32-35), companies challenged over the use of their scheme in publicly accessible areas will need to prove they're operating in consideration of the Data Protection Act 1998.

To help them out, the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) has launched an audit scheme designed to provide assistance to data controllers, and immediately identify where it is that their surveillance systems don't adhere to required standards of practice.

The audit will consist of an examination of a given company's facilities and procedures, including visiting the areas under surveillance to ensure the area is appropriate for monitoring and that the cameras meet the correct technical requirements.

A written report is produced to document the audit and, provided that standards are met, an Audit Certificate is issued that's valid for 12 months. Further details on the new initiative are available from the NSI on (tel) 0870 205 0000.