90% of UK CCTV cameras found to be illegal

Story link: 90% of UK CCTV cameras found to be illegal by Jan Harris

According to the new CameraWatch advisory body, around 90% of the 4.2 million CCTV cameras deployed across the UK, do not comply with the Information Commissioner’s UK CCTV code of practice.

This means that many installations are operated illegally and evidence provided from such installations would not hold up in court.

In order to be admissible as evident, CCTV footage must comply with the Data Protection Act.

CameraWatch found the most common error to be failing to store camera tapes securely once they have been filmed. Legislation requires CCTV images to be treated in the same way as confidential personal information.

Other problems identified include wrongly sited monitoring screens which can be seen by members of the public, or failing to register a system under the Data Protection Act.

CameraWatch is calling for an improvement in standards in the UK, which has more cameras per head of population than anywhere else in the world.