Home CCTV Systems and The Law

By Shamika W. Patrick 4 years ago

CCTV, home surveillance, and alarm systems are sound investments for any homeowner in the United Kingdom. These systems are effective deterrents for burglars and provide valuable evidence and information for law enforcement agencies in tracking and tracing perpetrators.

What are the legal ramifications of installing a security system, such as CCTV? Apart from deciding on which system to purchase, you must familiarise yourself with the rules and regulations. Reading about Verisure as a company, its products and services, you’ll also learn about their customer service, their customers’ experiences, and tips about home security. That’s why websites like uk.collected.reviews are important: they offer feedback from real-world people.

Here are important tips:
1) If your CCTV system only records footage from within the boundary of your home (and garden), CCTV rules and regulations don’t apply to you.
2) If your CCTV system captures footage from beyond the boundary of your home and garden, such as your neighbour’s garden or the street outside, you must follow the General Data Protection (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA18) regulations.
3) All CCTV owners must comply with those rules to protect other people’s privacy. This also gives other people the right to see the footage recorded of them.
4) CCTV systems and homeowners must comply with these regulations or face penalties. CCTV systems are not designed to be used as spying tools on neighbours.

Other rules and regulations to be aware of include:
• You can install a CCTV system outside of your property, so long as it doesn’t infringe on other people’s right to privacy. If your camera is affixed to a pole, it may not capture and infringe on their right to privacy.
• It is illegal to make sound recordings on CCTV systems in the United Kingdom.
• If you are installing and operating a CCTV system for a neighbourhood watch programme, it must first be registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Capturing and recording footage by CCTV system of your property is legal and justifiable, and if you wish to record areas beyond the boundary of your home and garden, by registering with the ICO you will need to state the reasons. You will need to justify why your CCTV footage is more important than the privacy of passersby and neighbours. The moral and neighbourly duty is to inform your neighbours of your decision to install a CCTV system and inform them of the areas of your property you’ll be monitoring and recording. That way, they will know that you’re not looking to intentionally invade their privacy and both parties can work towards a resolution to protect each others’ privacy. You must also display a sign to alert passersby that you have a CCTV system that records their actions on your property.

While the benefits of a home CCTV security and surveillance system are well documented in decreasing burglaries and in the apprehension of thieves, people are still suspicious of surveillance systems in general. Being neighbourly will go a long way to not invoke the anger or dissatisfaction of your neighbours.