Security News > 2020 > November > Snap-crappy: 183 Brit local authorities operate 80,000 CCTV cams between them, says surveillance watchdog
"There are over 6,000 systems and 80,000 cameras in operation across 183 LAs!" So exclaimed the UK's outgoing Surveillance Camera Commissioner as he detailed just how many council CCTV cameras there are across the nation.
In a public plea asking councils to take compliance with surveillance laws seriously, Tony Porter lifted the lid on the scale and depth of CCTV camera deployment across Great Britain.
The figure of 80,000 cameras across 183 councils covers just under half of Britain's 343 local authorities, meaning district and county councils, unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs.
Local authorities have access to "Recent innovations such as dash cams and body-worn video" deployed across the length and breadth of boroughs and counties, as Porter explained in a recent blog post asking councils to ensure they comply with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.
"I unequivocally support LAs having the right to legitimately use surveillance camera technologies where it's both necessary and proportionate for them to do so. The caveat to my support however is that any such use must be lawful, ethical and conducted within a clear and transparent framework of legitimacy which can be held to effective and independent account," wrote the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, echoing calls he first made five years ago.