Issues with 'private' CCTV installed by a neighbour.

Just taken a PFNW call from Fletton (Sorry caller, out of our area) about the installation by a next-door neighbour of CCTV cameras, on the neighbours property and in the back garden. The caller was worried that the CCTV camera in the garden overlooked his property and that he was being 'spied upon.'

CCTV cameras and recording units can be purchased from shops or websites like  www.maplins.co.uk but the rule of thumb is that the picture transmission footprint should legally only record activity physically within the boundaries of your own property and not a wider video footprint.

To be effective following an incident, Police should be able to take off timecoded digivideo images on a DVD or USB key. Some standalone Infra Red [IR] (nightlight) cameras will record time elapsed pictures on an SD card but again the images must be confined to an area within your property boundary.

The caller then described the positioning of the camera and it became clear that as it was only 1 metre from the backwall, all that it would pickup would have been the neighbours backdoor and possibly a window.

But before you do install CCTV, do the right thing and talk to your neighbour and ask your neighbour if they would object, explain that the images would only cover your own property BUT if the neighbour wishes and with his/her permission (in writing is best) your camera could possibly be re-set to cover his front garden, driveway and car as well - at no cost to them either!

Recently a relative installed such a system and as she is a senior citizen, the local police community officer in her area offered some positive advice and later told me she had a better CCTV system than the local bank! 

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