Code of Practice
All of the systems are used in accordance with national standards that govern the use of CCTV, Oldham Council’s Code of Practice (in partnership with Oldham Police Division of Greater Manchester Police), the Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act. Together this ensures that the information (images) are processed lawfully and in your best interest.
Copies are also at public libraries, Oldham Police Station and the Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham.
Explanations of the code in different languages are available on request to the CCTV manager.
The CCTV Code of Practice has been agreed by Oldham Council and the Oldham Police Division of Greater Manchester Police.
All data will be processed in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 which, in summarised form, includes, but is not limited to:
- All personal data will be obtained and processed fairly and lawfully.
- Personal data will be held only for the purposes specified.
- Personal data will be used only for the purposes, and disclosed only to the people, shown within these codes of practice.
- Only personal data will be held which is adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose for which the data is held.
- Steps will be taken to ensure that personal data is accurate and where necessary, kept up to date.
- Personal data will be held for no longer than is necessary.
- Individuals will be allowed access to information held about them and, where appropriate, permitted to correct or erase it.
- Procedures will be implemented to put in place security measures to prevent unauthorised or accidental access to, alteration, disclosure, or loss and destruction of, information.
What can you expect from us
We will ensure that cameras are located to capture images relating directly to the purposes of the CCTV system and ensure that there is clear signage indicating where cameras are in place and the reason why.
We will only allow access to the information in accordance with subject access rights and to third parties only in limited circumstances, directly related to the purposes of the CCTV system (e.g. the police, Trading Standards, solicitors).
Requests for information held on our CCTV systems
There are strict guidelines under the Data Protection Act 2018 regarding the release of CCTV footage therefore all requests for access to information held on our CCTV systems must be made to:
Requests for CCTV footage relating to a crime or civil matter (e.g. a theft or road traffic accident) can only be made by the Police, a Solicitor, or an Insurance Company.
Requests for CCTV footage from members of the public can only be accepted if made under a ‘subject access request’.
Important: if you are seeking a copy of your personal information held on our CCTV system under a ‘subject access request’ it must be noted that we can only supply footage/images of you.
Under data protection legislation, we are not permitted to provide any footage/images that relate to any other people and/or vehicles. Any footage/images before being provided to you will be edited, to ensure the privacy rights of others are protected.
Also, in some circumstances, we may be limited to either providing you with a partial copy of the footage, a series of still images taken from the CCTV footage, or the reason why we are unable to provide you with any footage/images if held.
Please be aware that footage is held for up to 30 days from the time of the incident/recording. You should submit your request within 18 days of the incident/recording to allow enough time for the request to be received and processed before the footage is deleted.
Making a request
All requests for CCTV footage to Oldham Council must include the following details as a minimum:
- Full name of the person making the request
- Start and end time/s
- Start and end date/s
- Location/s
- Brief description of information sought
The following additional information is also required for all requests being made by Police/Solicitors/Insurance Companies only:
- The appropriate legal gateway under the Data Protection Act 2018 you are using to seek footage
The following additional information is also required for all requests being made under a Subject Access Request only:
- 2 x proofs of ID consisting of 1 x document displaying a photograph of yourself and 1 x document that shows your name and current address within the last 6 months required.
- Details/description of yourself and/or your vehicle*
*if seeking footage/stills relating to your vehicle then we also require you to provide proof of your vehicle ownership or written consent from the vehicle owner allowing us to release details of their vehicle to you.