CCTV
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Police Ring of Steel ruled ‘Disproportionate’
The Hertfordshire Constabulary has been ordered to review the socalled ring of steel of ANPR cameras surrounding a market town in the English county. Royston has no less than seven ANPR cameras at six locations; no car can enter or leave the town without being seen by the cameras. But following an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), this has been deemed disproportionate. Stephen Eckersley, the ICO’s head of enforcement, said in a press release: “It is difficult to see why a small rural town such as Royston, requires cameras monitoring all traffic in and out of the town 24 hours a day.” Any use of surveillance needs to be proportionate to the problem, he said, and the Hertfordshire Constabulary’s extensive use of ANPR cameras around Royston was not. In its enforcement notice, the ICO said the police force should not use images from the cameras until its review has been completed. The CCTV Code of Practice published earlier this year says that public bodies must be able to justify the use of surveillance cameras. (See: Surveillance Code of Practice Published.) The ICO said the impact on the privacy of individuals entering and leaving the town of Royston has not been properly considered. Eckersley said in the release: “We hope that this enforcement notice sends a clear message to all police forces, that the use of ANPR cameras needs to be fully justified before they are installed. This includes carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the impact on the privacy of the road using public. The investigation followed a complaint by Big Brother Watch in June 2011. Nick Pickles, the group’s director, said in its press release that the ruling “sends a clear message” that blanket surveillance is unacceptable. The Hertfordshire Constabulary has said it doesn’t intend to appeal the ruling. However, a spokesman for the police force told the BBC that it intends to continue using ANPR cameras, as they deliver “substantial policing benefits,” though it recognises the need to ensure that the deployment of such systems is recognised to be justified and proportionate.
MET TO HOLD CONFERENCE ON CCTV
Following the riots in London of August 2011, the Metropolitan Police will be holding a conference on Wednesday 18th September 2013 at New Scotland Yard for all representatives of the CCTV sector to discuss lessons learned, good and bad practice and how to improve the overall effectiveness of CCTV. DCI Mick Neville, Metropolitan Police said: “CCTV continues to be the biggest contributor to successful prosecutions of rioters and looters from 2011. “During the ??\??H? H[??\?Y?][?[?? H\??\?X[?H\????]?H?Y[?X\??Y[? ?[][? ? H \?H?????8?'HY] ???][??X?H\??Y[? ? ?\?H \?X\??[?? ?]????\?]??X[?Y?\??[? ?Z[?\?? H\? ?[\?[?[?H[ ?H[??? ?Y[? ??Y[?? ?X?]?Y[??H H ?[??\?H ]??? ?? X?\?]?[?[?H ?X??\??[ ???X?][??[?XZ?\??\???[][?]Y\? ?Y?\???'B?? ?????˜??[ ???X?\?] K???Z??[?^ ? ?\ [?[????
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