CCTV in public spaces in North Yorkshire

CCTV coverage

We operate a Public Spaces Surveillance System (CCTV) covering the main shopping areas and car parks in: 

• Bedale 
• Northallerton 
• Stokesley 
• Thirsk 

The control room is supported by direct access to police radio systems and a Shop Watch scheme which operates in Northallerton and Thirsk. 

The cameras are located as follows: 

• 42 fixed cameras in public spaces 
• 24 cameras covering council buildings and infrastructure in the Hambleton area 
• 6 mobile cameras that can be moved to crime or anti-social behaviour ‘hot spots’ as required

Why do we need CCTV?

The main aims of the CCTV are: 

• to help detect and prevent crime and anti-social behaviour 
• assist with the prosecution of offenders 
• provide the Police and the Council with evidence to take criminal and civil action in the Courts 
• reduce the fear of crime and provide reassurance to the public  
• protect property and assets owned by the Council and others 
• provide assistance to emergency services 
• provide support to those businesses where Shopwatch operates and to provide monitoring and assurance to the Street Angels scheme in Northallerton 

Data protection and CCTV

In accordance with the data protection and human rights law: 

• images are retained for 32 days unless they are required by the Police for evidence 
• access to recordings and to the CCTV control room is restricted 
• all operators must pass police vetting for use of airwaves radio, an advanced DBS check and hold a Security Industry Authority (SIA) Licence 

What is Shop Watch?

Shop Watch is a crime prevention scheme providing assistance and security to businesses so they can provide extra protection to their staff, stock and customers. 
 
A network of town centre businesses are linked to each other and the Council’s CCTV control room by a two-way radio network. This provides a quick method of communicating details of potential shoplifters or those committing anti-social behaviour directly to a CCTV operator and other Shop Watch members. 

The scheme currently operates in Northallerton and Thirsk. 

For further details and to join Shop Watch, contact us.

Traffic collisions

If you or your vehicle has been involved in a road traffic collision in an area covered by our CCTV, then we may be able to help your insurance company or the Police with providing evidence to support your claim. 

To provide any footage we will need: 

• your insurance company to contact us within 31 days of the collision date – footage will not be available after this time 
• the date, time, details of the collision and location 
• car details – make, model, colour and registration number 

We cannot review the system for requests made by members of the public for road traffic collisions – your insurance company should contact us.

Charges for CCTV footage

To enable the Council to recover costs associated with processing footage requests to third parties in connection with legal proceedings or for obtaining legal advice under s35 of the Data Protection Act, the following charges apply: 

• £53 search fee for all requests 
• £53 flat rate fee to provide evidence 

Codes of practice

•  Download the Hambleton District Council CCTV Surveillance service operational code of practice (pdf / 900 KB)

Annual reports

•  Download the Hambleton District Council CCTV Annual report for 2021 to 2022 (pdf / 865 KB)
• Read the Hambleton CCTV annual report for 2022 to 2023

CCTV coverage

We operate a public area CCTV system covering: 

• Harrogate 
• Knaresborough 
• Ripon 

The system also covers council owned car parks and buildings. 

Our Harrogate-based control room operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, overseeing a network of 212 cameras designed to prevent and detect crime. 

Our images are very clear and can identify individuals and number plates easily. The CCTV service does not however have responsibility for traffic enforcement. The service will share any details of a vehicle causing an obstruction or a problem with one of our parking enforcement officers. 

Access to CCTV footage

Footage is kept for 31 days before being overwritten. Third party access to footage maybe obtained if: 

• evidence is needed in connection with civil disputes by court order or it is to be given to lawyers acting for defendants or victims in connection with criminal proceedings 
• access is approved by the person with daily responsibilities for the scheme for reasons which fall within the objectives of the scheme’s Code of Practice  

The police can also ask the CCTV service for camera evidence to support their investigations. They are charged for the evidence we provide.

How to request footage

To request CCTV footage: 

• you must contact us
• we will then send you a disclosure form to complete - you will also need to provide a letter of intent and permission from the client you are representing 
• on receipt of these documents, our legal team will consider the request and decide if the footage can be provided 

Please note a charge is made for providing evidence.

Subject access requests

Under the right of subject access (see section 7 of the Data Protection Act), an individual is entitled to their own personal data. There are exemptions within the Act regarding criminal or tax proceedings. 

An individual wishing to make a request for CCTV footage must apply in writing to:

The Legal team 
North Yorkshire Council 
Civic Centre 
St Lukes Avenue 
Harrogate 
HG1 2AE  

After receiving evidence you must: 

• make sure it is kept safe and secure 
• not allow anyone to make copies of the DVD 
• not show or allow the DVD to be shown to anyone not directly related to the proceedings the DVD has been provided for 

Code of practice

•  CCTV operational code of practice for the Harrogate area (pdf / 248 KB)

Annual reports

•  CCTV annual report for the Harrogate area 2021 to 2022 (pdf / 3 MB)
• CCTV annual report for the Harrogate area 2022 to 2023

CCTV coverage

We operate and manage 244 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, as well as body worn video devices, across the Scarborough and Ryedale areas.

Our CCTV cameras are installed in:  

• Scarborough, Whitby and Filey to monitor public spaces and highways, including council pay and display car parks and park and ride car parks 
• council properties including Scarborough Town Hall, Falsgrave Community Resource Centre, Scarborough Market Hall, some of our public toilets, Woodlands Crematorium, Dean Road Depot, Evron Centre and Filey Brigg Caravan Park 
• the harbours 

Where CCTV is in operation we have signs to let you know. These signs also explain who to contact if you have a query or concern about its use.

Other cameras we operate

We also have the following cameras in operation: 

• all council refuse collection vehicles have on-board a 360 degree camera with video being locally recorded 
• mobile cameras are used by our Waste Enforcement team to help with their investigations 
• body worn cameras support our frontline enforcement offices including Dog Wardens, Beach Superintendents and Civil Enforcement Officers 
• automatic number plate recognition cameras to control the flow of vehicles into and out of our Dean Road Depot

Why do we need CCTV?

The main aims of the CCTV are: 

• to help detect and prevent crime and anti-social behaviour  
• provide evidence to help with Police investigations   
• reduce the fear of crime and provide reassurance to the public  
• provide safer communities 
• to reduce acts of vandalism 
• to reduce vehicle related crime 
• assist with traffic management 

Data protection and CCTV

CCTV cameras capture personal data and must comply with the GDPR and Data Protection Act. We aim to comply with the Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s advice and guidance which defines the rules for the installation and operation of CCTV, as well as the management, access and use of recordings. 

Body worn video footage

Body worn cameras will: 

• be used by some front line staff who carry out enforcement roles, such as our Parking Wardens 
• be activated when the staff member feels under threat/are facing threatening behaviour or where they believe an offence is taking place 
• record conversations between members of the public and Council staff where considered appropriate – the member of the public will be informed verbally of this at the time 
• be worn openly and will be clearly visible 

Disclosing CCTV footage

CCTV and body worn video footage can be disclosed to: 

• individuals requesting footage of themselves or on behalf of someone else with the appropriate consent or authority – sometimes there may be legal reasons which prevent us from showing the footage, e.g. if it contains a third party. These requests should be made under a ‘subject access request’ 
• the Police, other law enforcement agencies involved in the prevention or detection of crime or apprehending an offender 
• insurance companies or anyone else involved in legal proceedings 
• individuals requesting footage that does not contain personal data – these requests are covered under an ‘FOI request’ 

CCTV operators are not allowed to disclose images of identifiable people to the media. Images released to the media to help identify a person are disclosed by the Police.

Make a subject access request

If you wish to request a copy of CCTV footage of yourself, you need to make a data subject access request.

Copyright

All recordings and copies of recordings including images saved by ourselves remain the copyright of North Yorkshire Council.  

Any footage released is for reference only and should not be placed on any social media, website, or any other medium of publication. 

What is Shop Watch and Pub Watch?

Shop Watch is a retailers’ scheme to respond to the problems of shoplifting and pickpockets.

Our CCTV control centre has a direct radio link with Shop Watch and Pub Watch with input from the Police. We assist in the apprehension and prosecution of shoplifters and other criminal offenders active in the town centres.

CCTV code of practice

Our Code of Practice ensures accountability, high standards, good quality information and effective partnerships between the Police and the system users. In summary the Code of Practice outlines that: 

• the CCTV system will only used to achieve the aims and objectives of as set out in the Code of Practice 
• cameras will not, without authority, be used to look into private residences/premises 
• all CCTV operators will be trained in line with the Operational Guide and Code of Practice 
• CCTV for covert or targeted surveillance purposes if required will be carried out in line with the Regulations of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and will be subject to the appropriate authority levels 
• CCTV systems will be run in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation and requirements laid down in the Commissioner’s Code of Practice  

 View the council’s CCTV code of practice. (pdf / 365 KB)

Selby town centre has a number of CCTV cameras in place. 

If you have a query about our CCTV cameras or the procedures we follow to release footage for evidence, please contact us.

Registering CCTVs

If you are a business installing CCTVs these must be registered with the Data Commissioner at: 

The Data Protection Commissioner 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF