Police use of Ring of Steel is disproportionate and must be reviewed
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24
July 2013
Police
use of �Ring of Steel� is disproportionate and must be reviewed
The
Information Commissioner�s Office (ICO) has issued an enforcement
notice today ordering a police force to review its use of
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.
Today�s decision follows the ICO�s investigation into Hertfordshire
Constabulary�s extensive use of ANPR cameras surrounding the town of
Royston. The use of these cameras has effectively made it impossible
for anyone to drive their car in and out of Royston without a record
being kept of the journey. The scheme is regularly referred to as �the
ring of steel�.
Following a joint complaint about the scheme from the privacy groups
Big Brother Watch, Privacy International and No CCTV, the ICO began an
investigation to see whether the use of the cameras was justifiable and
complied with the Data Protection Act. The ICO found that the
constabulary failed to carry out any effective impact assessments
before introducing the system of cameras. As a result it has not been
able to give a satisfactory explanation to justify their use.
The ICO has now ruled that the collection of the information is
unlawful � breaching principle
one of the Act � and excessive � breaching principle
three. Hertfordshire Constabulary has been issued with an
enforcement notice ordering the force to stop processing people�s
information in this way, unless they can justify the ANPR cameras use
by way of a proper privacy impact assessment, or similar such
assessment.
ICO Head of Enforcement, Stephen Eckersley, said:
�It is difficult to see why a small rural town such as Royston,
requires cameras monitoring all traffic in and out of the town 24 hours
a day. The use of ANPR cameras and other forms of surveillance must be
proportionate to the problem it is trying to address. After detailed
enquiries, including consideration of the information Hertfordshire
Constabulary provided, we found that this simply wasn�t the case in
Royston.
�We hope that this enforcement notice sends a clear message to all
police forces, that the use of ANPR cameras needs to be fully justified
before they are installed. This includes carrying out a comprehensive
assessment of the impact on the privacy of the road using public.�
The ICO has published a �CCTV
Code of Practice� that explains how CCTV and other forms of
electronic surveillance, including ANPR cameras, can be used in
compliance with the Data Protection Act.
If you need more information,
please contact the ICO press office on 0303 123 9070 or visit the
website at: www.ico.org.uk.
Notes
- The Information Commissioner�s
Office upholds information rights in the public interest, promoting
openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.
- The ICO has specific
responsibilities set out in the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom
of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and
Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.
- Anyone who processes personal
information must comply with eight principles of the Data Protection
Act, which make sure that personal information is:
- Fairly and lawfully processed
- Processed for limited purposes
- Adequate, relevant and not excessive
- Accurate and up to date
- Not kept for longer than is
necessary
- Processed in line with your rights
- Secure
- Not transferred to other countries
without adequate protection
About the Author
The Information Commissioner�s Office is the UK�s
independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public
interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for
individuals. We do this by promoting good practice, ruling on
complaints, providing information to individuals and organisations and
taking appropriate action when the law is broken.
The ICO enforces and oversees the following
legislation:
- Data Protection Act 1998
- Freedom of Information Act 2000
- Privacy and Electronic Communications
Regulations
2003
- Environmental Information Regulations
2004
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Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2013-07-25 15:46:12 in Computer Articles
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