Tougher rules on use of spy cameras

Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor
26 May 2010

Stricter rules on the use of surveillance cameras are being drawn up in a crackdown on Britain's “Big Brother” society.

Ministers want to impose tighter controls over the use of vehicle numberplate data in a attempt to protect civil liberties.

Millions of cars and lorries are photographed each day nationwide by more than 10,000 cameras - many of which are in London - under an “automatic numberplate recognition” system - known as ANPR - which identifies suspect vehicles.

The information, which can allow police to trace the movements of any motorist, is stored on a database so officers can identify the location of offenders at particular times.

Most of the data is meant to be deleted after 24 months, but the lack of regulation means the details, which include those of millions of innocent people, can be kept for years.

Campaign group Liberty is planning a legal challenge to the database, arguing that there are insufficient checks on how the information is used and who has access to it, so to address concerns ministers intend to introduce a legally binding code of conduct to protect motorists from misuse of the data.

The code is likely to set fixed time limits for the retention of the numberplate details and impose restrictions on when the data can be accessed.

Further rules could also be included to address concerns that increasingly sophisticated cameras could photograph drivers and passengers.

One Whitehall source said that while ANPR was an important weapon in detecting crime, proper regulation was needed to protect the innocent and safeguard civil liberties.

“At the moment, motorists' data is being retained for considerably varying periods and there has been no proper regulation,” he said. “So there does need to be some sort of code of conduct to ensure that the information is used appropriately and to reassure the public.”

ANPR allows police to detect crime through a “flagging” system under which officers are told the moment a suspect vehicle passes before a camera.

Although the system is principally used to detect uninsured vehicles and other motoring offences, it has also helped during investigations into serious crimes and terrorism.

Anita Coles, a spokeswoman for the human rights group Liberty, said, curbs were needed and welcomed the Government's plan to introduce clear regulations.

“Since ANPR was first introduced to track uninsured vehicles the number of cameras has soared and it's now being used for all sorts of policing purposes,” she said.

“Mass surveillance tools should not be developed in such a piecemeal and unregulated fashion. We need transparency and a full parliamentary debate about how this technology is used, who has access and how long the data is kept.”