Access to images
The images are continually monitored by fully trained operatives, 24hours a day/365 days a year.
Access to the control room is strictly restricted to the police, dedicated maintenance contractor, CCTV manager and operators. These restrictions are necessary to protect the integrity of the evidence that is recorded on a daily basis.
Operational procedures and a code of practice based on Home Office guidelines strictly control the CCTV system’s operation. Every aspect of running the system is covered including for example where the cameras should or should not be looking.
In the case of an incident, Lichfield District Police are alerted by radio from the CCTV control room, which enables them to speak on a one-to-one basis similar to a mobile phone.
The operators also have a StoreNet radio that enables them to send and receive messages from local shops, pubs and restaurants which can be used for example to locate a missing child.
Recordings are automatically erased after 30 days and all footage is confidential and subject to the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). We are only able to release CCTV footage under certain circumstances and the ways in which you can request access to footage vary depending on those circumstances.
CCTV footage can be requested by the Police when they are investigating incidents. In the case of civil law, Insurance Companies and Solicitors can also request footage when they are investigating an insurance claim or other incidents for evidential purposes.
Members of the public can request footage of themselves only and this would be handled as a Subject Access Request. Under the Data Protection Act we cannot release footage of other individuals, third parties or images that would lead to the identification of others, as this would be classed as their personal data and not suitable for release. Such footage can only be released if those parties have consented to the disclosure, or if their identifying features have been redacted.
Where you have been the victim of a crime, or there has been a crime-related incident, you should report the matter to the Police by calling either 999 in an emergency or 101 in a non-emergency. The Police can make a request direct to the Council to view our footage under Schedule 2 Part 1 (2) of the Data Protection Act (2018).
Where you have been involved in a road traffic collision or incident (without Police involvement), a request for footage must come from your insurance company or solicitor under Schedule 2 Part 1(5) of the Data Protection Act 2018.
There is no automatic right of access to information, and the council will assess the merits of individual requests made under Schedule 2 Part 1 Para 2 or Schedule 2 Part 1 Para 5 DPA (2018) and decide whether or not it is appropriate to disclose the information requested.
Where there has been a car collision or incident with Police involvement, and a crime reference number has been allocated, requests for CCTV footage should be sent to the Police directly.
Please note that while some of our cameras are fixed to a specific view, many of our cameras automatically rotate. This means that we may not have captured footage of an incident because the camera may be rotating to focus on a different area.
Read our CCTV, body worn video and surveillance privacy notice to find out more.