How time flies… Are we at that time of the year already?… The nights are fair drawin’ in, people…
So what are we all doing at the weekend? No Rugby World Cup games anymore to start the mornings with, that’s for certain.
One thing that does need to be looked at is your CCTV system… This weekend… On Sunday morning, actually, and the clock setting in particular. Yes, it’s that time of the year… for the clocks to change.
Do you know that hundreds – if not thousands – of CCTV systems are very likely to be even more non-compliant this weekend than they were last week because the clocks will not have been changed on them this weekend?
Now we’re talking all CCTV systems – the big, the small, the public, the private.
Some will already have automatic time-changing mechanisms but please take the time double-checked manually. On many occasions, CameraWatch has come across CCTV systems that are supposed to have the clock kept up-to-date automatically – and indeed the end user will be paying for the service – only to find out that the time on the CCTV system, for whatever reason, is still inaccurate.
Some will be CCTV systems that need to be changed manually, but is someone actually allocated this responsibility? Or is it totally forgotten about and a problem only identified in the weeks and perhaps months to come?
What’s in an hour for CCTV
So what’s an hour anyway for a CCTV system? Well, first of all if the clock isn’t accurate then there’s an issue of the system being fit for purpose. An obvious (and fair) question will be asked: ‘If you can’t even get a simple thing like the time right then what chance of correct procedures and correct operation of all the other aspects of the system?’
The common response on CCTV [“I’m not doing anything wrong so I’m happy to be captured by CCTV”] comes in here. This statement and the general attitude of the majority of the public is that CCTV is there looking after them. A very good attitude that is.
Except that let’s suppose some incident did occur and you had to rely on that CCTV system. The system is there to protect you – to keep you safe and secure – whether in a town centre, a shopping centre, an airport, in an office complex, wherever.
Unfortunately, you now have an incident you are the victim of and that incident has been captured on the CCTV system. Perhaps in a shop. The footage is quite clear. It’s full colour. The date is shown. The time’s shown. What could be better? Dead simple and straightforward? Mmm…
So the alleged perpetrator of the crime is caught on the shop’s CCTV system, but he doesn’t just hold up his hands in a “Fair Cop, Guv” attitude: fill out the paperwork. No, his legal representation states that his client was in a pub at the time of the offence with four friends and a bunch of witnesses.
In fact, he’s also captured on the pub’s CCTV system. The pub’s CCTV system is also quite clear. It’s full colour. The date is shown. The time’s also shown.
So our guy can’t be in two places at the same time now, can he? Both CCTV systems show the perpetrator on camera at exactly the same date and exactly the same time. Well… Except that the pub landlord had updated the time on its CCTV system and the shop manager hadn’t. The shop’s CCTV system is an hour out. It’s not accurate.
The legal representation then questions the use of the shop’s CCTV. By doing so, they question CCTV in itself. By having the situation of CCTV being questioned, it tarnishes the reputation of this wonderful security tool. We should not allow CCTV to be put in that position. Never.
Your reliance on – and confidence in – the shop CCTV is degraded. You might think twice before you have such confidence in it, or indeed in all forms of CCTV. Your attitude will have changed, and that’s a real shame. It is, however, avoidable.
Legally compliant, operated and managed correctly
Yes, CCTV is a great tool – so long as it complies with the law and is operated and managed correctly and legally.
Data Protection compliance for your CCTV system is not just another piece of red tape, and not simply another hoop to jump through. It’s practical. It’s good practice. It’s all about confidence in the CCTV system. And, of course, it’s the law.
All CCTV which captures members of the public who can be identified through the images falls under Data Protection legislation: the CCTV images are personal data that same as other personal data.
Your CCTV system must comply with the law and that’s why CameraWatch is so passionate about compliance.
It’s so very easy to tarnish the reputation of CCTV. It’s also easy – through independent assessments – to ensure that you are fully compliant and that way we can all work together to raise standards and quality in the use of CCTV.
Doesn’t take long to save yourself problems
So please – let’s just all take the simple step this weekend of ensuring that we change the clock on our CCTV systems. It will not take long. It will save a lot of problems. It will be a step towards ensuring public confidence in CCTV.
Oh, and that’s just the time element of compliance, by the way. There are many more elements that need to be adhered to. They’re not difficult, and neither are they Earth-shattering. An awful lot of it is basic common sense, but at the end of the day it’s all about compliance.
They say that a week is a long time in politics. Well an hour is a very long time in CCTV if you don’t get it right.
Paul Mackie is CEO and compliance director at CameraWatch
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