Tom Harris MP writes for ePolitix.com about the ten minute rule Bill he will present to Parliament on Tuesday on closed circuit television (monitoring and promotion).
I’ll be presenting the Closed Circuit Television (Monitoring and Promotion) Bill, to Parliament on Tuesday 27th October. Though unlikely to feature on a list of ‘Top Ten Catchy Bill Titles’, the bill suggests some important reforms. The idea is to provide an overall improvement in the base quality of CCTV systems in operation in the UK, which in turn will provide support to local police forces in bringing forward prosecutions.
There isn’t currently a compulsory code or minimum set of requirements by CCTV systems in the UK operated by either public or private organisations. This means there is a large disparity between the quality and type of systems currently in operation. This can and does cause problems for local police forces when examining this footage as evidence, in terms of quality and accessibility of footage. The bill seeks to address this in three ways:
The first is to impose a duty on public bodies to work with local police forces to achieve a streamlining of public CCTV and systems and a requirement that they contribute to the cost of such. The second is to impose a duty on the owners of those systems which control large areas open to the public, such as large bars and clubs, to provide local police with up-to-date information on the types of systems they use and how they are maintained. Lastly, it requires insurance companies to promote an agreed code of practice with their business customers for the regulation of the current system.
There are some very real positives that will come out of these measures if passed as legislation, such as much better evidence to present as cases for prosecution, elimination of the innocent from police investigations, and greater public safety.
The real challenge of any debate will be to prove that the bill doesn’t adversely affect civil liberties. It shouldn’t. Many of the private organisations that will be required to provide local forces with information will benefit from advice on the best way to maintain and operate their systems, and a standardised code of practice to follow.
It is, of course, important to avoid undue bureaucracy, but as most of the organisations involved will already be regulated in some way, the further regulation will not create an unnecessary burden. This can also be coupled with the likelihood that a better standard of CCTV systems as a whole would cut down on police time and paperwork.
