Nearly All CCTV Cameras Illegal
CCTV is there to stop, or at least record, crime. Yet it appears that 90% of the CCTV cameras in Britain may well be breaking the law themselves. This is due to breaking the Data Protection Act and, in some cases, the Human Rights Act, according to CameraWatch:
“A new national advisory body for the industry, CameraWatch, which has the backing of the police and the Information Commissioner’s Office, claimed yesterday that the vast majority of CCTV is used incorrectly and could potentially be inadmissable in court…
“Our research shows that up to 90 per cent of CCTV installations fail to comply with the Information Commissioner’s UK CCTV code of practice, and many installations are operated illegally. That has profound implications for the reputation of the CCTV and camera surveillance industry and all concerned with it.” (The Times)
It’s not a good thing that a lawyer “could drive a horse and cart” through most CCTV evidence.
I don’t like the profusion of CCTV cameras across the country, especially when they want to give the cameras speakers and microphones as well, but since the cameras are there, they should at least be able to catch and convict any criminals they record!
As the CCTV cameras are there, they should at least do their jobs properly and be admissible in court as evidence. Otherwise they have no positive role at all.
Source: The Times
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I’ve been working on a critical and extensively researched documentary about CCTV in Britain for over two years - it premiered last March at an Austrian film festival, and it was a huge success, considering that this was a no budget film: It became one out of five most popular films of the festival.
You can check out the trailer on the official film website http://www.EveryStepYouTake.org
The film will come to a film festival in Britain this year, but I cannot yet confirm a specific date or location. It will be available for download later this year.
Please feel free to leave comments or questions on the website! I’m happy to answer all your enquiries.
Regards