The terrorist incidents in London in July 2005 highlighted the effectiveness of CCTV as an aid to investigation. However, CCTV is essentially an intrusion into an individual's privacy, so the law aims to regulate its use and restrict its impact.
The newly-revised CCTV code of practice issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office, sets out the main issues for anyone considering or currently using CCTV on their premises. The code also provides advice on the retention and use of CCTV images and outlines some of the circumstances when it would be appropriate to disclose images captured by CCTV, for example, to law enforcement bodies for the investigation of a crime. If your organisation uses CCTV it may be timely to assess whether it is used appropriately and effectively.
