Hello! I’m Fraser Sampson, the new Surveillance Camera Commissioner (and Biometrics Commissioner too). I came into post on 1 March and with so much going on in both the world of surveillance and biometrics, I’m sure the next few weeks and months are going to be busy, but I think this is an exciting time and I’m looking forward to the road ahead.
Earlier this year I sent a survey to LAs in England and Wales to gain a better understanding as to the extent to which they were complying with their statutory responsibilities arising from Section 33(1) of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (PoFA) and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice, in connection with their use of overt surveillance camera systems in public places.
In this blog the Commissioner reflects on the Court of Appeal judgment regarding the police use of automated facial recognition and what steps now need to be taken in relation to it.
This blog discusses some work around standardising video data produced by surveillance camera systems and the ability of this video data to be easily retrieved and played by the police and the courts.
In this blog the Commissioner looks back over the National Surveillance Camera Strategy for England and Wales, what's been achieved and what the future might hold.
The local authority strand of the national surveillance camera strategy as been working on a framework service level agreement document to help local authorities and police forces write their own agreements. Read about how this work is developing and get involved.
Regulating law enforcement use of automatic facial recognition is a complex area. The Commissioner blogs about the legal framework and the need for regulators and others to work together to ensure that they serve the public interest to the standards they expect, helping those who want to deploy AFR do so within a strong framework of law and guidance
The policing strand of the national surveillance camera strategy focuses on how the police pro-actively share relevant information about their own operation of surveillance camera systems and use of data from other systems. Read about what's happening on this work strand.
Video Surveillance Systems are operated by most Local Authorities in England and Wales and are intrinsically linked with operational policing to protect the public and ensure their safety. So how effective are they and is the cost of installing and operating those systems really worth it?
Related content and links
Surveillance Camera Commissioner's Office
This is the official blog for the Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s Office. We aim to give you updates on the current issues in the sector, share ideas and importantly invite your views on the use of surveillance cameras.
