Recording
Recordings may need to be submitted as evidence in criminal proceedings and therefore must be of good quality and be accurate in content. All material will be treated in accordance with strictly defined procedures to provide continuity of evidence and to avoid contamination of the evidence. Recorded material will not be sold or used for commercial purposes or the provision of entertainment.
The showing of recorded material to the public is only permitted if it complies with the needs of the police in connection with the investigation of a crime, or other circumstances provided by law.
Routine recordings are automatically retained for 31 days and then overwritten and deleted by the system. This is considered a reasonable length of time to allow any access requests for footage to be made.
In certain circumstances images may be retained in the system locker to prevent automatic deletion. This will be where there is the possibility for them to be used for evidential purposes or an access request is being processed. Images will not be retained in the system locker for longer than is necessary.
Control of Media
All images reproduced on any media will remain the property of the council. The council retains copyright of all images.
Each new downloaded recording must be clearly and uniquely marked before it is brought into operation.
At each use the identification number of the media, date, time of insertion, and time of removal shall be noted in the media log.
The release of media containing images from the control room must be strictly controlled under all circumstances. All media should be erased where possible prior to secure disposal.
Access to Images
The main source of requests for access to images is expected to be from the police or other enforcement agencies.
Data protection legislation and GDPR allows individuals to see or be informed about any data held about them. Since data is only stored for a maximum of 31 days, requests must be made via the appropriate online application form within 21 days to allow the relevant data to be saved.
There may be circumstances in which the council is required to release images in connection with civil disputes. Requests involving civil disputes are subject to a £100 fee payable in advance of the footage being released.
Access to media containing the images or video print image evidence for lawyers acting for defendants or victims in connection with criminal proceedings will be provided under the Disclosure of Evidence Act. This is provided by the police, crown prosecution service, or enforcement agency dealing with the case.
No other access will be allowed unless approved by the council’s Information Governance Manager.
Evidential media
Media required for evidence will be dealt with in accordance with The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). Only authorised officers may remove these media recordings from the control centre to a secure store.
Media containing images provided to the police or other agencies shall at no time be used for anything other than the purposes for which they were originally released.
