Andrew Rennison, surveillance camera commissioner and forensic science regulator for the UK, says he is “not worried” that self-regulation of those covered by the new CCTV Code of Practice will fail.
Rennison, offered a state-of-CCTV address at IFSEC International last week and stressed a balance between efficacy and transparency.
The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 inaugurated the structured consideration of video surveillance. In Chapter 2, the document lays out a basic structure for a Code of Practice and calls for oversight by a commissioner. Rennison was appointed to that role, and a new commissioner will be chosen next year when he steps down from that role and the role of forensic science regulator.
“While the government worked out a coalition agreement, they did say that additional work was needed,” said Rennison. “We now have the Protection of Freedoms Act and are drafting a Code of Practice.”
This Code of Practice will have a very narrow focus, Rennison stressed, governing only surveillance done by law enforcement with its own cameras. Further, the Code will encompass only those practices related to overt, rather than covert, surveillance:
The Code of Practice sets out government support for the use of surveillance as having a clear and important role in tackling crime and supporting the safety of people. The Code creates the notion of surveillance by consent, which is a natural progression of policing by consent, but it has to be tested and worked through.
Calling them the “two clear golden threads of surveillance,” Rennison pointed to transparency and effectiveness as key goals in the future of surveillance. Installed systems, then, must adhere to basic guidelines in providing transparency, but must also provide images that are of value to investigators, he said.
This new standard, however, is just the beginning of broader best-practices. It will cover only relevant authorities, which accounts for just 5 percent of the video surveillance cameras in the UK. Currently, cameras found in schools, hospitals, and transportation authorities are not covered, Rennison said. “It was decided to get it right in state surveillance and then broaden it out.”
Another critical component of the new Code that may come under fire is how it will be enforced. The plan is to allow the CCTV Code of Practice to be self-regulating. Said Rennison:
The ministers wanted a light-handed regulation. Those that have regard to the Code will have no liability. However, I can comment that anyone who is under this code are people of integrity, so I am not worried about it.
The Code will be based upon a number of basic principals. The first is that CCTV will only be used at those times when there is a “pressing need and legitimate aim.” Other principals will outline best-practices around privacy, transparency, access to retained documents, security, audit, and more.
The key activity is around standards, as we start developing key and crucial standards for all surveillance use, as well as for design, installation, training and use of images. There needs to be a clear flow of standards all of the way through this.
The new standard will be published, if all goes according to plan, this summer.
We will rely on the support and goodwill of people in industry as we work out what must be done over the next three to five years. We have to be measured in how we do this, since we can’t eat the elephant all in one go.
As the new standards are developed, communication will be key. That being said, let’s talk about it now. What do you think of this new standard? Where would you like to see these efforts go?
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