just a quick question on cctv cameras

poe1968

just a quickie hope someone can help me please

i have a neighbour that has i cctv camera on the front of his property which is angled and my property across the street from him

it is actually pointing directly on my front door i have contacted the police for advice to which i was told... that because it is above his driveway on which he parks his car it is just a security measure for his car which he has had vandilised in the past. yet the police have not even been out to look at it for themselves

could anyone give me there opinion or advice on this please

we do not get on with this neighbour by the way ........so know point talking to them

chirpy007

Get a fake one and point it back, see how he likes it.

There was a big discussion on this a while back, not sure if it was this site or another l frequent :eek: but l cant remember the outcome. I think you may have a battle on your hands though.

afro_2

Data Protection Act may come into play here...

He should make the effort so that the camera does not capture other people, only the driveway and car he aims to protect.

Might be worth reading up here http://www.ico.gov.uk/tools_and_resources/document_library/data_protection.aspx

montrose5

He must have a notice warning that CCTV is in operation, worth speaking to the council planning dept. If this becomes an issue bear in mind one of the few useful parts of the Human Rights Act-Right to Privacy

biblejohn

A woman up the road from me was told to turn her CCTV camera off by the police as her neighbour had reported that her front door was within range of the camera. The woman prompted did what the police said, and a few days later some yobs set fire to her front door and tried to burn her house down.

Had she not been ordered to turn the CCTV camera off then the police would have been able to catch the arsonists.

mi-key

It does occur to me why you wouldnt want it pointing at your house ??? what are you up to that you dont want people to know about.

I'm sure if your neighbour has just set it up to spy on your font door then he could do exactly the same by sitting in his front garden and there wouldnt be anything you could do about it.

Chance are if its covering his car, your house wont even be visible on the picture.

Also, if it did cover your house, and someone broke in or vandalised your car, you would have free CCTV covering it.

xzibit

How do you know it's directly at your front door? Sound a little paranoid to me. I have a cctv camera below the gutter on my house, and it captures a different view to where it seems to point, so I had to set it up via watching the tv screen. There is no house opposite me, so no problems, but I wouldn't be bothered if a neighbour opposite had a cctv camera that seemed to point at my property?!?! Free cctv coverage. If you want to walk around your house naked then close the curtains lol.

caeler

You might find help here:

http://www.nfh.org.uk/forums/index.php?showforum=60

Altarf

afro wrote:

Data Protection Act may come into play here...

No it doesn't

Domestic purposes. 36. Personal data processed by an individual only for the purposes of that individual's personal, family or household affairs (including recreational purposes) are exempt from the data protection principles and the provisions of Parts II and III.

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/80029--e.htm#36

[Deleted User]

https://www.ico.gov.uk is a wbsite with this on it plus code of practice, etc

The UK has more public and private CCTV systems per person than anywhere else in the world and it's an area in which we're taking a great deal of interest.

If you have a very basic CCTV system, its use may not be covered by the Data Protection Act. For example, if you're a small shop keeper with a couple of cameras you can't move remotely and you simply record whatever the system picks up and only give the recorded images to the police as a result of an incident in your shop, then you're not covered by the Act.

However, if your system is more advanced and allows you to zoom in on an individual member of staff whose behaviour is causing you concern, or you use cameras to monitor the movements and activities of your workforce, you'll need to inform us. You'll also need to let us know if you give the recorded images to anyone other than the police or a similar law enforcement agency.

The highly sophisticated CCTV systems used in large shops, railway stations, town centres and other places where large numbers of people gather are designed to focus on particular people or identify criminal activity. These types of images are covered by the Act, but if a general scene is recorded without an incident occurring, the pictures are not covered.

In summary, if the image recorded is aimed at learning about a particular person's activities, then it's covered by the act.

What next?
We've issued a CCTV code of practice. This provides guidance and advice for all users of CCTV. If you're a small business and want to install a CCTV system, read our small user checklist. We've also published a good practice note about CCTV systems and the Data Protection Act. This outlines exactly which CCTV activities are covered by the Data Protection Act.

If you're still worried or confused about any aspect of CCTV use, give us a call on 01625 545745, and our Data Protection Helpline staff will be happy to help.

Altarf

cgw wrote:

In summary, if the image recorded is aimed at learning about a particular person's activities, then it's covered by the act.

Only if the CCTV is operated by a business, not if it is operated by an individual for domestic purposes.