VMS Comments On Government Stance on CCTV Regulation in the UK
VMS (CCTV) (published 20/05/2010)
Managing Director of VMS welcomes calls from the UK Deputy Prime Minister for improved regulation on CCTV in the country
With regards to Nick Clegg's comments promising proper regulation of CCTV on ITN News today, Brian Larkins, Joint MD of VMS (CCTV) Ltd says, 'It is good to see that CCTV regulation is high on the new Government's to do list. With around 4 million CCTV cameras employed in the UK, the Home Office's recent CCTV Operational Requirements Manual, plus the Information Commissioners CCTV Code of Practice provide the cornerstones for effective design and responsible management of CCTV.
'All that has been missing is effective regulation. Without that, it's little wonder that 80% of CCTV images are assessed by the police as 'not fit for purpose' (Home Office National CCTV Strategy report).
'It has also been stated that 90% of CCTV systems do not comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act (DPA). Many of these fail for minor reasons, but our VeriFi CCTV team routinely hear of cases where law abiding citizens have been refused access to their recorded CCTV images in the mistaken belief that it would be in contravention of the DPA. In fact, the exact opposite is the case. You do not even have to state a reason, provided you make application in writing and are prepared to pay the £10 (maximum) fee, you are entitled to a copy of any images of you that are captured on CCTV operated by a business or organisation, subject to reasonable conditions. That's because recognisable images are just as sensitive as personal information held in a database.'
