Correspondence

February 2019

Updated 2 September 2021

Welcome from the Surveillance Camera Commissioner

Welcome to the fourth edition of my newsletter!

In this publication you can read about the policing strand of my national surveillance camera strategy and discover the highlights of my annual report 2017-2018.

You can read the most recent guest blogs published on my website, as well as the latest guidance on the use of domestic CCTV.

Follow links to the ANPR National Standards recently published by the Home Office and find out details of the upcoming CCTV User Group / NASCAM conference event.

Also find out which organisations have recently achieved certification and gained my charter mark.

I hope you find what’s in this edition useful. Please forward this to anyone you think may be interested and they can subscribe to receive the newsletter themselves by completing a short online form.

In focus – national surveillance camera strategy

The national surveillance camera strategy (NSCS) provides direction and leadership in the surveillance camera community to enable system operators to understand and use best and good practice and be aware of their legal obligations. The strategy is divided into 11 work strands, each led by sector expert who have developed plans for each strand to deliver the strategic vision. You can read about the policing strand below.

Policing

The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 places a statutory responsibility upon the Chief Officers of police forces in England and Wales to have regard to the surveillance camera code of practice (the SC Code) in respect of the surveillance camera systems that they operate overtly in public places. Policing is therefore a key strand of work within the framework of the NSCS as follows:

Objective 4 – The police proactively share relevant information about their own operation of surveillance camera systems and use of data.

This strand is now being led by Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Gilmer, the National Police Chiefs Council Lead for CCTV. Jenny said:

I’m delighted to have taken over the NPCC lead on CCTV and over the past few months have enjoyed meeting many of the dedicated and incredibly enthusiastic people working in this arena. I held my first working group meeting on 7 February, and as a collective we’ve identified some areas to progress. I’m particularly looking forward to working with colleagues to promote the continuing benefits of CCTV, consolidate working relationships between police and local authorities and try to ensure solutions which keep our communities safe and are fit for purpose in every way.

Raising standards – certification scheme

Under the provisions of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, police forces and local authorities must pay due regard to the SC Code – for other organisations adoption of the 12 principles in the SC Code is voluntary.

The commissioner’s third party certification scheme enables organisations to visibly demonstrate they comply with the SC Code by displaying the commissioner’s certification mark. A list of certified organisations is also displayed on the SCC website and updated quarterly.

The commissioner offers his congratulations to:

• Aspers Ltd Westfield Stratford City for recently achieving full certification against their use of CCTV cameras
• Bolton Council for recently achieving full certification against their use of CCTV cameras

Details about the scheme and an updated leaflet are available on the SCC website or you can contact the commissioner’s team for more information.

In the news – recent events, news and publications

Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s annual report:

On 22 January 2019 the Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s fifth annual report was laid before Parliament.

In his report the commissioner highlights:

• his extensive survey of all police forces in England and Wales to understand their surveillance camera ‘footprint’ and how they are complying with legal requirements under the Protection of Freedoms Act (PoFA) and the surveillance camera code. All forces now have a Senior Responsible Officer responsible for force compliance with the PoFA
• building momentum behind the National Surveillance Camera Strategy for England and Wales to deliver:
  • the first Question Time style event to enable serious debate on how surveillance cameras and associated technology impact on citizens
  • a series of national workshops aimed at local authorities to advise them how to comply with the 12 guiding principles in the surveillance camera code
  • the first horizon-scanning report to enable us to peer into the future at how surveillance cameras may develop
  • cyber-security considerations across all strands of the strategy from standards to training
  • developing a new ‘Buyers’ Toolkit’ – an easy-to-follow guide for non-experts (aimed at small to medium enterprises) that are thinking about buying a surveillance camera system, and want to ensure that they buy an effective system that does what they want it to do
• formulation and first meetings of the Automatic Number Plate Recognition Independent Advisory Group, chaired by the Commissioner, to scrutinise the deployment and operation of automatic number plate recognition as a surveillance tool
• the emergence of automatic facial recognition as a viable technology used by both state and private organisations

Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter said:

Yet again it’s been an incredibly busy and challenging year. I’ve continued to see lots of great examples of good practice from relevant authorities and those who fall outside the scope of this definition. Equally there is room for improvement and I am working with the strand leads on the national surveillance camera strategy to raise standards.

Guest blogs:

• blog from Professor Pete Fussey - Launching the human rights, data and technology strand of the national surveillance camera strategy
• blog from Dr Rachel Adams - Driving ethics forward: the importance of considering the ethics of automatic number plate recognition(ANPR)

Updated guidance on the use of domestic CCTV

This document will help you to understand what you need to do if you are considering installing (or have already installed) a CCTV system on your home property. A CCTV system includes the camera, storage, recording and all associated equipment.

National ANPR Standards published

The National ANPR standards for compliance and audit of law enforcement and the National ANPR standards for policing and law enforcement (NASPLE) were published by the Home Office on 24 January 2019.

CCTV User Group / NASCAM conference event

“Into the Grey Space” conference

Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 May 2019

So what is a grey space?

In a grey space, a criminal or terrorist can prepare for an attack feeling unobserved, safe and with a low risk of identification. Attacks that have been initiated in grey spaces include those at Manchester Arena, Westminster Bridge, Borough Market and Finsbury Park Mosque. A recent spate of high-profile street crimes have also been carried out in these undefended areas.

Izzy Boardman, Journalist, IFSEC Global, 16 June 2018

Tony Porter will again deliver the keynote conference presentation and will talk about voluntary adoption, the Home Office review of the surveillance camera code of practice and update delegates on the future strategy.

To discover more information about this event, who the other speakers are and how to book a place, visit the CCTV User Group website.