Nowadays, it’s becoming more and more common for people to elect to have some kind of personal CCTV system protecting their home. Here at IDS Security, we think it’s a great idea! But there are a lot of questions surrounding the topic of home security, such as why are so many people opting to protect their home with these types of security systems, and what kind of laws do you have to be aware of when possessing such devices?
Why Do People Use CCTV?
Having your house protected by a personal security system is a fantastic investment, and has a wide variety of benefits. For example, in some instances having a security system in your home can actually reduce your insurance premiums, depending on your provider. Being protected can also help bring you peace of mind, both when you’re away from home and when you’re sleeping. It’s even been shown that having security systems significantly reduces the chances of your home being burgled, with the presence of a security system enough to dissuade burglars from targeting your home. It deters would-be thieves from trying to target your home since they consider your property to be “high-risk”, so there’s a large chance that they’ll move on and instead opt to go for an “easier” target.
If you’d like to find out a little more about the benefits of having your home protected by security systems, check out this blog post that goes over some of the ways it may benefit you.
Benefits of Home Security
Pros and Cons of Having Signage:
As previously mentioned above, having a security system can actually dissuade would-be burglars from attempting to target your home. Of course, this only works if the burglar knows the security system is there! This is where having signs really comes in handy! If the burglar thinks the house is unprotected (no signs), they might still try and invade the property.
It could be argued that this is also a disadvantage of having security signage, in that it warns the home invader that there is security on the premises so they know what to be wary of. However, it’s very unlikely that this will be an issue.
What Does the Law Say?
Are you legally required to put up a sign if you have CCTV on your premises? The answer really comes down to one important question: Does your CCTV footage encroach past the limits of your private property?
If your surveillance system DOESN’T record any amount of public property, for example, roads or footpaths, you have no obligation to disclose that there is CCTV on the premises. Furthermore, anyone who comes onto your private property and is recorded on your CCTV system doesn’t have any rights or protection under data protection laws.
If your property DOES record public space, even if it’s just a small amount, you are in fact legally required to post signage that lets people know that they’re being recorded. It is a legal requirement that these signs be clearly visible and legible.
Furthermore, anyone who is recorded on these CCTV cameras has rights under data protection acts that you should be aware of, above and beyond being made aware that they’re being recorded via signs.
- They have the right to ask for a copy of the footage where their image is identifiable. This is known as a “subject access request”. They can verbally ask, or make the request in writing. The CCTV owner (you) must respond within a month.
- They also have the right to ask the CCTV owner to erase any personal data they hold about them.
- It’s also worth noting that it is FORBIDDEN for CCTV operators to share footage of identifiable people with the media or on the internet for “entertainment purposes”. The only footage that is allowed to be released is if it’s to identify someone for purposes requested by the police.
These are all important things to know before you make the decision to install a security system like CCTV into your home. Always be aware of the laws, and the rights of yourselves and others.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the UK laws and regulations of the use of domestic CCTV systems, check out this government informational page.
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