Public spaces surveillance cameras (CCTV)

The council operates public space CCTV cameras throughout public areas of the Town Centre. The cameras are monitored at a local control room 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The purpose of the council's CCTV is to help reduce and detect crime and antisocial behaviour and make people feel safer by:

• assisting with the early response to risks and incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour to prevent further escalation
• providing evidence to assist with the prosecution of offenders
• helping to ensure the safety and protection of people and places
• providing reassurance to people who visit the Town Centre
• supporting local businesses to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour through the Shop Watch and Pub Watch schemes
• assisting the enforcement of ‘Byelaws for the Good Rule and Government of the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane and for the prevention of nuisances’

Recycling sites

Surveillance cameras operate at these recycling sites to deter and capture evidence of waste crime, or what is commonly called ‘fly-tipping’. Footage that captures people fly-tipping will be used to assist with enforcement action or prosecution of offenders.

• The Fieldgate Centre, Kingsclere
• Brighton Hill Parade, Brighton Hill Centre
• Castons Car Park, New Road
• Popley Fields Community Centre, Carpenters Down
• Winklebury Centre, Winklebury
• Overton Hill Car Park, Overton

Other CCTV

Cameras are located at some of the council depots to assist with the prevention and detection of crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Malls, Leisure Park, Festival Place and some other privately-owned areas also have their own closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems.

Privacy

Each of our camera locations have been fully considered regarding privacy implications, particularly where cameras exist in residential areas. Part of this assessment has considered ‘privacy marking’, which reviews what CCTV systems can see and ensures it does not cover areas outside its intended use. This is particularly important in areas where residential properties exist. Where this is the case privacy masking software is used. Our CCTV systems are compliant with the Data Protection Act, Human Rights Act and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice requirements.

CCTV Policy

A copy of the council's CCTV policy can be found below.

CCTV Policy(PDF) [290 kb]

Frequently asked questions

How long is CCTV footage kept for?

All footage is recorded digitally and is kept for a period of 31 days to enable the Police to request a copy if an incident is reported to them. Footage will only be retained for longer than this if a copy has been requested in relation to an on-going investigation.

Can I have access to footage from an incident I was involved in or see footage you may have of me?

If a crime has occurred, it should be reported to the Police to investigate. They are able to access CCTV footage to assist with their enquiries.

Otherwise, you can make a Subject Access Request to see whether the council holds footage of you. This will be considered on a case by case basis and depends on the incident or type of footage held. You will need to provide sufficient information to enable the operators to identify you in any footage.

Where the request relates to an incident involving your vehicle, your insurance company should make the request and an administration fee will apply.

Who is responsible for the CCTV cameras in other locations?

There are other CCTV cameras in Basingstoke Town Centre, which are owned and monitored by either Festival Place or The Malls shopping centres. Please contact the relevant centre with any enquiries:

Festival Place:
Website: Festival Place website
Telephone: 01256 326022

The Malls:
Website: The Malls website
Telephone: 01256 468892

Basingstoke Leisure Park:
The Leisure Park has a network of cameras installed to assist with the security of the site and to support the businesses. These cameras are managed and monitored by the security team on site.

Highways:
There are a number of cameras along some of the roads in Basingstoke. These cameras are owned by Hampshire County Council and are used to assist with traffic management. The cameras are monitored but do not record as they are in place to help keep traffic moving.