Public space and council premises CCTV - privacy notice

Read the privacy notice for public space and council premises CCTV.

As a data controller we decide how your personal information is processed and what is used for.

This notice provides clarification on what we collect through Public Space CCTV recordings and CCTV deployed within our buildings, the purpose of such recordings and how images are stored and retained.

Our CCTV system is in operation across East Renfrewshire providing recorded images 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the purposes of crime detection and prevention, and in the interests of public safety, risk management and environmental protection.

East Renfrewshire Council Community Safety Unit maintains and manages our CCTV resources including signage alerting the public to the use of CCTV in the area is mounted within public view.

All personal information captured by public space CCTV cameras or by the Community Safety Unit is held and processed by East Renfrewshire Council as a data controller in accordance with Data Protection legislation.

Purpose of CCTV

This notice will inform you what data is gathered by CCTV, how we look after that data and how you can find out more about your privacy rights.

We'll always handle your personal data with respect, hold it securely and only gather data or information that's necessary.

The processing of information within the Community Safety Unit is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller. CCTV may capture more sensitive information about individuals. This processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interests, for the prevention or detection of unlawful acts and to carry out a key function as set out in law, namely Section 163 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1964.

Under certain circumstances we may process personal information under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000.

Images of individuals may be collected on public space CCTV cameras with the East Renfrewshire areas and it's necessary to collect such images for the following purposes:

  • To help with the reduction or negation of criminal activity
  • To help with the increased apprehension and prosecution of offenders
  • To give emergency services assistance
  • To increase public safety and provide public reassurance
  • To reduce the fear of crime and create a safer environment
  • To help with health and safety and other serious occurrences

Public space CCTV is overt, meaning cameras are clearly visible and surveillance is general in nature. Signage highlights where public space is in operation, and monitoring of 'live' images is undertaken primarily by our Response team. We monitor live CCTV images 24/7 within our CCTV control room. Officers monitor the images to identify any potential criminal activities, building security breaches and any risks to public safety.

CCTV images are kept on local recording devices within our buildings (including Education premises) and on video management software and servers within the CCTV control room.

Recorded CCTV images are stored for no longer than 30 days from the date of recording after which they're automatically deleted.

In cases of suspected criminal activity the images may be passed to Police Scotland and / or the Procurator Fiscal for investigations and possible prosecution. Disclosure may be made to other law enforcement agencies and other public bodies with regulatory functions (which includes other services to the council).

Police Scotland and other law enforcement agencies may, on showing good cause, request copies of images or access to monitoring screens. Such requests are generally met.

Depending on why we need to process your information you'll have rights to how your information is used. More information about your rights, including the circumstances in which they apply, can be found within our main privacy policy.

If you've concerns about the processing of your personal data by us, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk.

For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing, visit the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) website (opens new window).

Please contact us if you need this information in an alternative format.

Last modified on 4 October 2022
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