How to Request CCTV Footage
Under the General Data Protection Regulation 2018, individuals have a right to see CCTV images if they are the subject. This is called a Subject Access Request. To make a request, you will need to contact the City of Ely Council.
If you want to request CCTV footage in relation to damage to your car or property, then please report the incident to your insurance company and/or the police. They will then obtain the relevant footage. They have the statutory right to investigate and receive all data relevant to the investigation, including that of other data subjects etc.
Data Subject Access is a route to request only your personal data that we may hold on you, and in the case of recorded CCTV that would be your potential image only, nothing else.
Subject Access does NOT permit you to receive other subjects personal data, i.e. of their images, or vehicles etc. so should not be used for this purpose and you should contact the police or your insurance company who have that right to investigate and view all relevant data on your behalf.
To access to the images you will need to:
- Fill out a CCTV Subject Access Request Form
- Prove your identity (and that of any representative acting on your behalf)
To assist us in dealing with a request for such information please download the CCTV Subject Access Request form at the bottom of the page and return it to:
The Clerk to the Council, City of Ely Council, Sessions House, Ely.
Once the City of Ely Council has received the completed form and relevant identification, it will take a maximum of 1 month to get back to you with an answer. This is the statutory period under the General Data Protection Regulation 2018. However, please be aware that the CCTV images are only retained for a maximum time period of 28 days.
You must provide sufficient and accurate information about the time, date and place to enable the data controller to locate the information. It is recognised that you may be unlikely to know the precise time. Under those circumstances, it is suggested that within two hours of accuracy would be a reasonable requirement.
It is important that the Council does not compromise anyone else’s privacy, so you will only be able to view CCTV footage that does not contain images of third parties or images that would enable you to identify other people (e.g. car registration details). Images of other subjects would need to be edited or blanked out to make sure no one else can be identified. This process is costly, and one which the Council has the right to refuse to undertake if the costs are disproportionate.
The City of Ely Council is entitled to, and will, deny access to information in certain cases under the General Data Protection Regulation 2018, specifically where the information may be held for:
- The prevention and detection of crime
- The apprehension and prosecution of offenders, and
- Where giving you the evidence may prejudice either of these purposes.
Any authorised viewing of the CCTV data will take place at the CCTV Control Centre. The recording will only be played to the person who made the request.
You are also entitled to have a copy of the recording if it will not become part of a live criminal investigation, civil proceedings or a complaint.
If you have any questions please contact Data Protection at the City of Ely Council, Sessions House, Lynn Road, Ely. Download and complete the subject access request form.
