Rules to be tightened up over use of spy cameras

POLICE forces and councils who want to set up CCTV systems will have to be open and clear about what they will be used for and why.

Home Office proposals for a new code of conduct come after West Midlands Police apologised last year for a controversial CCTV scheme which saw more than 200 cameras installed in two largely Muslim neighbourhoods.

The code may also say how long data, including images from automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, such as those which helped to track the killers of Pc Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford in November 2005, should be retained.

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“ANPR differs significantly from CCTV, because ANPR data is more easily searchable,” the Home Office said. “Accordingly, its longer retention can be particularly helpful in police investigations although there should be public transparency in relation to the length of any retention periods.”

It added that data used for a particular purpose “should not be kept for longer than is necessary”.

Crime prevention Minister James Brokenshire said: “CCTV and ANPR systems play a vital role in the prevention and detection of crime. However it is important they are used in a way that does not invade law-abiding people’s privacy or undermine the public’s confidence in them.

“That’s why we are establishing this code and that’s why we are asking the public what they think should be in it.”

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A new commissioner will be appointed to monitor use of the code.

Daniel Hamilton, director of campaign group Big Brother Watch, said the move towards a code of conduct was a step in the right direction. “For far too long, the police and local councils have been able to operate CCTV systems with impunity, without any giving any thought to personal privacy,” he said.