The Annual Local Authority CCTV Conference Programme

Local Authority CCTV 2008
The Key Issues, Challenges and Developments

Friday 4th July 2008
Local Government House, Smith Square, Westminster SW1

The morning programme

Colin Murphy, Vice-Chair Public Sector CCTV Managers Association (PCMA) and CCTV Co-ordinator, Birmingham Community Safety Partnership.

Martin Lazell, CCTV Manager, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and Chair, Public Sector CCTV Managers Association (PCMA).

The introductory address will set the framework for local authority CCTV management in 2008. It will highlight the key current issues and provide a CCTV management view on the main challenges for local authority CCTV. 

Jonathan Bamford, Assistant Commissioner, Information Commissioner’s Office

The 2008 updated code of practice from the Information Commissioners Office provides guidance and advice for CCTV users on how to comply with the Data Protection Act. This session will provide an outline of the revised code of practice and, in particular, guidance on CCTV microphones, retention of records and disclosure. 

Kate Rennicks, CCTV Service Manager, Manchester City Council

Kate Rennicks was involved with the Department for Transport in preparing the new regulations under the Traffic Management Act. In this address she will provide a perspective of the role and restrictions of CCTV in traffic enforcement, share her experience of setting up camera enforcement of bus lanes, and provide a view on the future of CCTV in traffic enforcement.

Gary Griffiths, Head of Parking, London Borough of Islington.

The use of CCTV to enforce parking rules is being rolled out from the Greater London authorities to the rest of the country. This session will allow one of the leading authorities in the use of CCTV parking enforcement to share their experience and will look at the issues for authorities under the new framework and guidance issued by the Department of Transport.

Ian Cunningham, National Strategy Project Manager
National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA)

In this session Ian Cunningham will provide an overview of the findings of the National Strategy. This will include looking at the priorities and challenges to implementation of the 44 CCTV National Strategy recommendations, particularly in light of the uncertainty over strategy ownership and the progression of the recommendations. 

Catherine Bannister, CCTV Manager, Mansfield District Council
Secretary, PCMA Officers Group
Darren Pollington, CCTV & Building Security Manager
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

The Public Sector CCTV Managers Association has been developing performance indicators for public sector CCTV. The initial working group recommendations are now being updated to take account of the National Strategy recommendations. This session will look at the work of the group and the future for the development of CCTV performance indicators.

The afternoon programme

John Dean, National ANPR Co-ordinator
National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA)

There has been recent discussion about the use of ANPR under RIPA (the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000). In a report from the Chief Surveillance Commissioner, Sir Andrew Leggatt, it was noted that RIPA requires authorisation for surveillance operations and that ANPR surveillance falls under RIPA. This address looks at the requirements of RIPA in relation to ANPR and how to ensure that ANPR surveillance is legal.

Geoff Whitaker, Head of Biometrics,
National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA)

Facial recognition databases have recently been trialled by three pilot police forces; Lancashire,West Yorkshire and Merseyside. Facial recognition technology allows the matching of CCTV images with details of offenders. The NPIA’s FIND project (Facial Image National Database) has recently ended and they are now developing the UK Police Image Standard to specify requirements for facial images. The police are also developing “behavioural matching” software to pick out odd behaviour in a crowd. This address provides an outline of the development of these systems and current objectives for the future use of facial and behavioural recognition systems.

Speaker to be confirmed

CCTV managers work within a framework of corporate and departmental policies and objectives. CCTV resources need to be utilised to meet the objectives of differing departmental priorities. This workshop looks at the challenges to balancing the needs of enforcement and community safety.

Martin Lazell, CCTV Manager, Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames
and Chair, Public Sector CCTV Managers Association (PCMA)
And a Police Representative

Balancing the requirements of the Police and local authorities can create challenges for CCTV Managers. This workshop looks at the key issues for partnership working together with challenges to ensuring that CCTV delivers the objectives of both parties.

Speaker to be confirmed

A number of local authorities have received funding for Talking CCTV, installed in partnership with the Government’s Respect Unit. This workshop will look at the objectives of the programme and how it delivers both the national and local Respect agenda and other community safety objectives.

Colin Murphy, Vice-Chair Public Sector CCTV Managers Association (PCMA) and CCTV Co-ordinator, Birmingham Community Safety Partnership