Public space CCTV

How to report a crime

• In an emergency you should phone 999. You should use this service to contact police in situations when you need an urgent response, that is, if a crime is happening now or if anyone is in immediate danger.
• If you want to make a report to the police, but the matter is not urgent please call using the non-emergency number 101
• If you have any information on a crime and wish to report it anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

How long we keep recordings

Recordings are kept for 31 days in line with Home Office recommendations and automatically deleted. If evidence is required it is copied onto a hard disk or DVD to be held by the investigating officer (usually the police) or supplied to the insurance company or solicitors acting on your behalf.

How to obtain footage from a road traffic collision or accident

If you have been involved in a road traffic collision or accident, which you believe may have been captured by CCTV within the last 31 days, you should contact your insurance company or solicitor and ask them to make a request to cctvenquiries@kingston.gov.uk. 

If the request relates to a criminal case and the police have requested the footage, it will not be released until they have concluded their investigations. Please ask your insurance company or solicitor to be very specific when requesting footage and include the following:

• date and time (e.g. Wednesday 1 April 2015 between 2:00pm and 2:30pm)
• exact location and direction of travel (for example Portsmouth Road junction Surbiton Road heading towards Seething Wells / Scilly Isles or outside 173 Kingston Road)
• make, model and colour of vehicles involved (for example, AB01 CDE- Silver Vauxhall Astra)
• a brief description of the incident.

Installing a CCTV system at your home or business

Home

Members of the public may use CCTV on their premises without registering and conforming to the  ICO Code of Practice, as long as they do not monitor the private space of others or on the public highway. You should take care to ensure that the placement of cameras doesn’t leave you liable to potential claims or litigation.

Business

Businesses may put up CCTV but must register and conform to the ICO Code of Practice. They must also clearly register the system's purpose. For more information, see the Home Office CCTV Small Business Guide.

Monitoring of cameras

The Council CCTV Operators are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year.