CCTV
Thanet District Council has a closed circuit television system to help provide a safer community for everyone by;
- reducing the fear of crime
- detecting and reducing levels of crime.
- protecting property and deterring vandalism.
- helping to catch those who commit crime or public order offences.
- Safeguarding the most vulnerable.
The camera network is recorded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at our central control centre. Images are recorded and kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR and the Thanet District Council CCTV Code of Practice.
The system is owned by Thanet District Council, and the control centre is staffed by closed circuit television surveillance operators vetted to NPPV Level 2 which is required by non-police personnel with unsupervised access to police systems and premises and allows access to classified police material/ information.
The service operates to a strict code of practice which sets rules and guidelines on the way the system is used, as well as ensuring that the system will be operated to a high standard with due regard for the public civil liberties and data protection.
To report a crime and disorder you must contact the Police – please dial 999 in an emergency or 101 in a non-emergency. Should the police require CCTV footage for their investigations they will contact us.
For more information about how we process your personal data from CCTV, please view our CCTV privacy notice.
CCTV Request (Law Enforcement)
Please use this form for CCTV footage requests for Police and other outside government organisations only.
Frequently asked questions
Many people are installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) as a home security measure as it’s proved to be an effective tool in fighting crime. Cameras used for limited household purposes are not subject to current data protection legislation.
However, if the footage covers areas beyond this, such as neighbouring streets or other properties, it may create problems and will need to comply with data protection law. There could be issues regarding privacy and harassment if you’re being recorded in your home.
The first step is to speak to your neighbour to see if they’ll reposition the camera so that it doesn’t point at your property. If that doesn’t work and you want to take further action, we recommend getting legal advice from a solicitor.
You may find resources belonging to the Information Commissioner’s Office useful as well.
PermalinkData protection law gives you the right to request CCTV footage of yourself under the right of access in data protection law.
In order to support your request, please provide the following information:
- a specific date and time to help us locate the footage
- proof of your identity, ideally including a photograph.
- a description of yourself. This can include all details such as height, clothing or incident description, and a suitable photograph of you that will help us identify you.
Please make your request through our subject access request form.
Thanet District Council must usually provide the footage free of charge within 1 calendar month. If your request is complex we may extend this by an additional 2 months but we will tell you if this applies.
We have separate processes for dealing with requests from solicitors or insurance companies and the police.
PermalinkThe images of individuals, or groups of individuals, are personal data therefore the Council must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018 to be able to disclose such footage to third parties.
A request for footage under this process is made under Schedule 2, part 1, Para 5 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
This section covers disclosures relating to legal proceedings and states:
(3) The listed GDPR provisions do not apply to personal data where disclosure
of the data—
(a) is necessary for the purpose of, or in connection with, legal proceedings (including
prospective legal proceedings),
(b) is necessary for the purpose of obtaining legal advice, or
(c) is otherwise necessary for the purposes of establishing, exercising or defending legal
rights,
to the extent that the application of those provisions would prevent the controller from making the disclosure.
It is an offence under this legislation if any requester seeks to obtain or procure personal data unlawfully.
Requesters will be required to sign an agreement and declaration to confirm that they are making the requests lawfully.
PermalinkLegal professions or insurance companies
For the legal profession or insurance company, we reserve the right to make a charge for our services. This is to cover the cost of searching the recorded images, providing a digital copy including sending the media by recorded delivery and a media receipt that can be used in evidence if required.
The calculation for this fee is based on actual and true costs for all aspects. The fee is payable irrespective of the outcome of the search.
The fee is currently £50 per request.
Individuals requesting footage of themselves
Where the request is for more than one individual’s personal data, the Council reserves the right to charge additional fees to reflect the cost of the work undertaken.
For those requesting footage of themselves, the footage is given free of charge.
We reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee where the request to exercise a right under sections 45, 46, 47 or 50 of the Data Protection Act 2018 is manifestly unfounded or excessive.
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