Access to CCTV/surveillance camera footage
The council uses CCTV/Surveillance Camera Systems for various purposes, including protecting council properties, deterring and detecting crime, and monitoring traffic and parking. The cameras are typically located in areas such as council offices, public spaces, car parks, and traffic management zones.
CCTV systems that can be found within areas such as town centres, parks, and other communal spaces are managed and maintained by the district councils within Lancashire.
The council cannot release CCTV footage following a Subject Access Request where third party individuals can be identified. Such footage can only be released if those parties have consented to the disclosure, or if their identifying features have been redacted.
The council may also refuse to provide footage whereby doing so would be likely to prejudice:
- the prevention and detection of crime
- apprehension and prosecution of offenders
Where an individual has been:
- the victim of a crime
- involved in a road traffic collision or
- a request is received from an insurance company or legal representative
It is not possible to provide footage as the Council are only able to provide images of the data subject and not of third parties.
Where you have been the victim of a crime, or there has been a crime-related incident, you should report the matter to the Police by calling either 999 in an emergency or 101 in a non-emergency. The Police can make a request direct to the Council to view our footage under Schedule 2 Part 1 (2) of the Data Protection Act (2018).
Where you have been involved in a road traffic collision or incident (without Police involvement), a request for footage must come from your insurance company or solicitor under Schedule 2 Part 1(5) of the Data Protection Act 2018.
There is no automatic right of access to information and the council will assess the merits of individual requests made under Schedule 2 Part 1 Para 2 or Schedule 2 Part 1 Para 5 DPA (2018) and decide whether or not it is appropriate to disclose the information requested.
Where there has been a car collision or incident with Police involvement, and a crime reference number has been allocated, requests for CCTV footage should be sent to the Police directly.
Further assistance
Requests for CCTV/Surveillance Camera footage held by Lancashire County Council from Police, insurance companies or legal representatives should be sent to dataprotection@lancashire.gov.uk