A survey conducted by the Office of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner (OBSCC) in the second half of 2022 has revealed that many police forces in England and Wales are using public surveillance camera systems that have raised serious ethical and security concerns.
The survey, which received 39 responses out of a possible total of 47, asked all 43 police force areas in England and Wales, as well as the British Transport Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the Ministry of Defence, and the National Crime Agency, about their use and governance of public surveillance camera systems including on drones and helicopters, body-worn video, ANPR (automatic number plate recognition), & any other relevant systems.
At least eighteen respondents of the survey revealed that their external camera systems use equipment (including Dahua, Hikvision, Honeywell, Huawei, and Nuuo) that has raised security or ethical concerns. Similarly, at least 24 respondents say that their internal camera systems use equipment about which there have been the security or ethical concerns. At least 11 respondents say their ANPR systems use equipment about which there have been the security or ethical concerns, and at least 2 respondents use cameras made by Hikvision in their body-worn video systems.
In addition, the survey showed that 23 of the 31 respondents who said they operate cameras on drones or unmanned aerial vehicles, which have various capabilities including video, audio, thermal imaging, and night vision, said they depend on the manufacturer Were aware of safety or ethical concerns about Their drones, Chinese company, DJI. These findings raise serious questions about the use of Chinese surveillance cameras in the UK police estate.
The Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner Fraser Sampson expressed concern about the findings of the survey, noting that the police estate in the UK is “shot through with Chinese surveillance cameras”. He further added that the forces deploying this equipment are generally aware that there are safety and ethical concerns about the companies supplying their kit.
Sampson emphasized the need for the police to be able to use intrusive surveillance technology in public places but stressed the importance of persuading the public that they will use the technology presented to them lawfully, responsibly,& according to a set of clear agreed principles.
Parliament has already acted to curtail the use of equipment made by many Chinese manufacturers in certain areas of public life where safety is important. The results of this survey suggest that there is a need for a broader conversation about the use of equipment made by companies with serious ethical and security concerns in public bodies.
The public has a right to know how the police are using their data, and there must be transparency and accountability in the use of public surveillance camera systems to ensure that they are being used in a lawful and responsible manner.
Source: Gov[Dot]UK
