CCTV Use & Abuse
by Peter Fry BSc C Eng MICE

For the past decade the use of CCTV has been an ever increasing factor in the lives of citizens in the United Kingdom, now often said to be the most surveillance orientated country in the world, but with the events of Sept 11th in the USA that pre-eminent position could well change, or will it?

The citizens of the UK are generally supportive of CCTV, largely due to media publicity of some horrific incidents involving child abduction or terrorism where CCTV systems were the prime link that enabled the perpetrators, who might otherwise have escaped justice to be identified and caught. Surveys in the UK usually show between 95-98% of the public support the use of CCTV. It has developed an image of the 'Benevolent Father' rather than 'Big Brother' watching over them. But in other countries possibly the citizens feel more defensive of their right to privacy or more wary of putting all the power of CCTV to infringe their human rights into the hands of "the State". Can they really trust the state not to abuse that trust?

But if other countries do follow suit, are there lessons they could learn from the way CCTV has developed and is managed and operated in the UK? We are not intending to "teach grandmother to suck eggs" but recognise that there have been many mistakes made in the development and operation of our CCTV systems, and any other country or organisation thinking of investing in CCTV could well save considerable heartache by 'not reinventing the wheel'. Incidentally, that is also why The CCTV User Group came into existence in 1996, to develop "Model Documents and Procedures", to share "Best Practice", and to "Set Standards" for the operation of CCTV written by "Users" for "Users", and that is also why it is now recognised nationally and internationally as the prime source of information about public area CCTV surveillance in the UK.

To the public a "CCTV system" is the camera mounted on a pole or a wall, watching over them. To a CCTV installer or supplier a "CCTV System" is also the monitors and other control room equipment. Few people think of the other factors that go to make the "CCTV system" that all CCTV system managers and operators are familiar with, or at least should be! And that is the first problem, not all CCTV managers are sufficiently aware themselves of all the factors involved, either through ignorance, or sometimes due to thinking they know it all, or even adopting the ostrich qualities of "head in the sand and hope it will all go away"

So what makes a "CCTV system" so complex that it justifies the formation of a " CCTV User Group" to provide managers and operators with help and advice? The technical aspects, though critical to ensure evidential quality of video images are only the stating point, never the be all and end all, so don't let a supplier/installer totally design your system, it needs someone with experience of actually operating a public area CCTV system. Locations of cameras and ergonomics of a control room can be critical, so start the design by looking at the Operational Requirements of the system, as identified by the Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB)! Human factors are even more critical, in the vetting, selection, recruitment and the all important but often overlooked professional training of all staff, including both managers and operators. Then there are the links to communication systems, as the best use of CCTV is when it is 'intelligence lead'. Radio links to shop store detectives, to the police control room, to pubs and nightclubs all provide information, as can public "Help Points". But no camera has ever jumped off a mount and arrested someone, so you also need liaison to ensure an appropriate human response, by Police, Town Wardens or your security personnel. Equally you need to be aware through crime pattern analysis of where to point your cameras at different times of the day and different days of the week. A camera might have a 15-degree field of view out of 360 degrees but is no use if it is pointing in the wrong direction at the wrong time. That requires analysis of management records and crime statistics.

And now you have identified an incident you not only need evidential quality video evidence (what size of image is required on a monitor for identification purposes? PSDB guidelines can be a starting point), but also to be confident that the evidence will be admissible in court. Beware! Defence lawyers are aware that it is difficult or often impossible to argue a client is not guilty if the CCTV evidence clearly shows he is, and so increasingly, their approach is to try and ensure a jury never see the evidence. If they can demonstrate accepted procedures have not been followed or do not fully comply with the various legislative requirements or 'best practice', a judge may rule that the "video evidence" on which everyone is relying, has been obtained illegally and is therefore inadmissible.  So you need procedures, formal logs and records which can identify every use of the tape, and every person who has viewed the tape since the seal was first broken to the day it arrived in court, and you need to ensure all your procedures fully comply with any Human Rights or Rights to Privacy laws.

And so an effective "CCTV System" is highly complex interaction between technical, human, management, communication, legislative, procedural, ergonomic and even psychological factors like the acceptance and support by the public, and like any "system" it can only be truly effective if all these component parts are working effectively and in harmony. Any of these elements could be "The Weakest Link".

Much of the legislation affecting the use of CCTV was only recently introduced in the UK but most served to reinforce the "Best Practice" the CCTV User Group has been promulgating since it's inaugural meeting.

Data Protection Act 1998
Human Rights Act 2001
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2001
And the soon anticipated Freedom of Information Act.

Our only concern over the requirements of these Acts is that in fact they don't go far enough. In this respect we echo many of the concerns of Civil Liberties organisations.  In our view it could well be the gaps in the current legislative framework that could become "the Weakest Link" in the public's continued acceptance and support of CCTV surveillance.

CCTV User Group members, as managers and users of CCTV equipment know far better than most others, the tremendous power and ability of their systems to intrude into peoples personal and private lives if they were to be misused. It is only the professionalism, commitment and dedication of those members to best practice (demonstrated by their wish to join our organisation) that ensures that they do not abuse the trust placed in them. But what of those who are not so well informed?

Those who do not know the implications of all the legislation? Those who do not train their operators in exactly what they should and should not do? Those who do not maintain their equipment and ensure it complies? Would public confidence be retained if some high profile case failed because proper procedures weren't followed or tapes of a well-known individual were released to the media? And how effective could CCTV surveillance be if it did not enjoy the support of the public? To those of us who recognise the value of CCTV in combating crime and terrorism this would be a nightmare scenario.

In our role of developing "Standards" and "Best Practice" the CCTV User Group wants to ensure that all those who manage and operate public area CCTV systems are publicly accountable and are governed by appropriate legislation to protect the public from misuse of the systems.  If, as at present we feel legislation is inadequate to provide the level of protection the public deserve, we have no hesitation in drawing attention to the perceived deficiencies and suggesting amendments.

Web Links

The CCTV User Group - www.cctvusergroup.com or contact me at

Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB)  - Website www.homeoffice.gov.uk/pcrg/psdb

Information Commissioner - www.dataprotection.gov.uk