CCTV Policy

1. Introduction

The use of CCTV across the main College site and the College’s outlying properties is part of the College’s efforts to ensure the safety and security of its members and visitors, as well as safeguarding property. Although a relatively small site, being in the centre of Cambridge, the College receives a great many visitors and incidents do occur. CCTV cameras, in conjunction with other security precautions, are installed at strategic points to assist in prevention and detection of crime. The legal basis for this processing is that it is necessary for the purposes of the College’s legitimate interests, where we have concluded that our interests do not impact inappropriately on the fundamental rights and freedoms of the College’s members and visitors.

2. Purposes of the CCTV system

The CCTV system has been installed by the College for the following purposes:

• To assist in the prevention and detection of crime
• To aid the identification, apprehension and prosecution of offenders (including the potential use of images in criminal proceedings)
• To reduce the fear of crime and reassure members of the College and visitors
• To help ensure the safety of College members and visitors
• To monitor the security of premises

3. Responsibility for the CCTV system

The College Officer with overall responsibility for the CCTV system is the Bursar, as Data Protection Officer. The system is managed on a day-to-day basis by the Head and Deputy Head Porters, and the Head of IT & Business Systems.

4. The system

The system covers the main College site, St. Chad’s, Russell Street, South Green Lodge, 29 Barton Road and Sports Ground. Some public footpaths such as those running along Queen’s Lane, King’s Lane and Trumpington Street have limited coverage. It is operated 24 hours a day throughout the year. All cameras are fixed position and although some may have an audio recording function this will always be disabled. The system does not support a facial recognition facility, but meets the D1 resolution standard (720 X 480 pixels). College members and visitors are made aware of the CCTV system by appropriate signage at the entrances to the College site and at its other properties.

In normal circumstances, College CCTV will not be used for intrusive or directed surveillance. Areas such as toilets and sleeping accommodation will not be monitored. Public bodies such as the police are governed by strict rules within the Regulation of Investigatory Procedures Act 2000 (RIPA) about how and when cameras can be directed to view a location where an individual’s specific activity can be monitored. Whilst the College is not bound by RIPA it will adopt the principles:

• It will not be used speculatively. There must be a sound intelligence case that an individual(s) is committing a crime or a serious breach of College rules. In deciding what amounts to serious consideration will be taken of the risks to individual(s), College property and College reputation. Consideration will be given to minimising collateral intrusion to those quite properly going about their normal daily business and whose image is captured by a directed camera.

• Once the purpose for use of a camera has finished, the camera will be removed or re-positioned back into general use.

Decisions on the use of directed surveillance will be made by the Head or Deputy Head Porter in conjunction with the Bursar (where staff involvement is suspected), Senior Tutor (for students) or President (for Fellows). They must satisfy themselves that a sound intelligence case exists and that the use of the directed surveillance is proportional to the incident and likely outcome. A record of the rationale will be created for each use of directed surveillance. It will be retained by the Head Porter. Decisions relating to installing additional cameras onto the general system, e.g. to fill in a gap in coverage or to install cameras at a newly purchased property, will be made by the Head or Deputy Head Porter, the IT department, and Bursar. Additional input may come from other 
members of the College if they have suggested that a need for a camera has arisen. A record of the decision will be created. It will be retained by the Head Porter.

5. Recordings, storage and access

Live images from all cameras can be viewed by the Porters in the Porters’ Lodge. Recorded images are stored on two recorders within the IT department. Images are retained for thirty days and then overwritten. Additionally, live and recorded images of the entranceways of both College Libraries, and the Rare Books Store, can be viewed by the Librarian and Deputy Librarian.

Access to recorded images (with the exception of the entranceways to the two College Libraries) is limited to the Head and Deputy Head Porters and the IT department. CCTV images may be personal data and therefore fall within the scope of the Data Protection Act (1998). All processing of personal data will be done in accordance with the College’s Data Protection Policy. https://www.caths.cam.ac.uk/about-us/college-documents/data-protection

At the end of their useful life all images on discs will be erased and securely disposed of as confidential waste. All images will be deleted from College servers and all still photographs and hard copy prints will be securely disposed of in confidential waste.

Requests to access recorded CCTV images should be addressed to the Head or Deputy Head Porter. In the event they are unavailable requests should be made to the Senior Bursar. It is expected that most requests to view or receive copies of images will come from the police. This will usually be arranged in advance and the Head or Deputy Head Porter will be in attendance. A log of the viewing must be made. Requests for copies of images by the police will be treated in accordance with College procedures. Applications received from outside bodies (e.g. solicitors) to view or release images will only be accepted when satisfactory documentary evidence is provided showing they are required for legal proceedings or in response to a court order. Images required for
these purposes will be kept for no longer than 6 months after the completion of the prosecution.

Requests for access to the CCTV images may also come from data subjects, i.e. those featuring in the CCTV images. Any such requests should be directed to the Archivist who can provide a copy of the Subject Access Request: CCTV record request form.

6. Maintenance

The location of cameras and accuracy of the date and time recorded will be checked on a yearly basis by the Head or Deputy Head Porter in conjunction with the IT department. A maintenance log will be kept in the Porters’ Lodge CCTV file. Damage and faults are to be reported to the Head or Deputy Head Porter in the first instance or to the IT department.

7. Complaints and contacts

Any individual having concerns about the CCTV system are requested to contact the Bursar in the first instance.