Registration: a first step in the regulation of CCTV

Regulation of CCTV is in the public gaze once again, with the Government set to regulate CCTV as part of their Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill (more on that later).

Surely one of the key planks of regulation has to be registration of CCTV systems and cameras nationally. In the same way that the Security Industry Authority (SIA) requires all personnel in licensable sectors to be registered, so they can monitor and control them, so would cameras and monitoring systems require registration in order to be controlled.

Some questions that have to be asked when proposing a national registration scheme are, Who would be responsible for collating that information and to what use would that information be put?

I think a reasonable purpose in gathering that information is to assist the police in identifying the location of cameras that could be potentially useful in investigating crime.

What if you required each police force to map the cameras in their area and required the owners of CCTV systems within that area to register their cameras with the police, on pain of a fine per unregistered camera? (Fines would not be automatic but only imposed after giving organisations a warning to comply).

To avoid it becoming a database nightmare for anyone to manage, you could create an online tool which enables organisations to register themselves and then declare the locations and retention periods of each of their cameras. It would take an organisation with a small number of cameras very little time to complete the task (30-45 minutes at most) and then all they would have to do is re-confirm the information on a regular basis (12 monthly?).

Police would then make quarterly returns to the CCTV regulator and/or the Information Commissioner and, voilà, you have a highly accurate camera count and map of the cameras (both public and privately owned) in the country.

In addition, the Regulator would then have a comprehensive database of CCTV owners to whom could be passed information on codes of practice, image quality, data protection, and so on.

Regulation is not a panacea for the industry: it won't make people spend more money to replace shoddy CCTV systems. It won't clean the dirty lenses on ancient cameras, it won't adjust the back focus nor improve the lighting. It's up to the owners of CCTV systems to do that, and the only thing that will get them to pay attention is greater education about the importance of installing and maintaining systems that are fit for purpose.

But one thing that regulation would do is enable the police and government to get that information out to CCTV system owners in a more efficient manner, ensuring that everyone with a system received regular updates on legislation, codes of practice and system management.

And the other thing that regulation would do is answer this perennial question of how many cameras we have in the UK and where they are located. If we had that, it would be an invaluable tool for investigators and put the UK firmly in the lead again in the use and management of CCTV systems.

Andrew Rennison, the interim CCTV regulator, has recorded the following introductory message.

The National CCTV Strategy Board has strategic ownership of delivery of the strategy and will report to the Home Office on progress.

A key part of the delivery mechanism is the appointment of an Interim CCTV Regulator and establishment of an Independent Advisory Group.
These are two distinct functions but with overlapping interests in helping to determine the direction and benefits of effective implementation of the strategy.
Background

In establishing the National CCTV Oversight Body and the independent CCTV Regulator (iCCTVR), the Policing Minister also announced the establishment of an Independent Advisory Group. The IAG will provide advice to the National CCTV Strategy Board and to the iCCTVR, monitor direction on implementing the national strategy, and responding to requests for advice from the Board and the iCCTVR.

Membership of the IAG should have representatives from business, CCTV operators, community and third sector groups. It is expected that that membership of the IAG will be fluid with a core group providing the majority of support, and other members of the Group being engaged on an ad hoc basis.

The Independent Advisory Group (IAG) has been set up to bring external and independent advice and guidance to the National CCTV Strategy Board and to assist in the effective implementation of the National CCTV Strategy. The role of the IAG is to assist the National CCTV Strategy Board in conjunction with the Interim CCTV Regulator to implement the National CCTV Strategy.
iCCTV Regulator

The role of the interim Regulator will be to work with the National CCTV Strategy Board on six key areas. These are to:

* develop national standards for the installation and use of CCTV in public space;
* determine training requirements for users and practitioners;
* engage with the public and private sector in determining the need and potential content of any regulatory framework;
* raise public awareness and understanding of how CCTV operates and the benefits to tackling crime and public protection;
* review the existing recommendations of the National CCTV Strategy and advising the Strategy Board on implementation, timelines and cost and development of an effective evidence base;
* promote public awareness of the complaints process and criteria for complaints to the relevant agencies (e.g. Information Commissioner, local authority, private organisation etc) and dealing with complaints relating to technical standards.