Does anyone know if you need to display a sign by law if you have CCTV at your house for it to be used in evidence by the police?
Read this on a website, but just wondered if anyone knows for sure or experience in this sort of thing?
From website
For CCTV cameras installed in domestic premises, there is also no requirement in law for CCTV signs.
Video evidence is just as admissible in court, whether you inform the subjects or not.
Read this on a website, but just wondered if anyone knows for sure or experience in this sort of thing?
From website
For CCTV cameras installed in domestic premises, there is also no requirement in law for CCTV signs.
Video evidence is just as admissible in court, whether you inform the subjects or not.
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There is absolutely no need for a private citizen to display warning signs on residential property for CCTV that covers their property.
Only commercial systems need these signs as they are data maintainers. The sign is there to inform you how you may contact them in order to obtain a copy of video footage which you or your property features in, as required by the Data Protection Act.
CCTV footage on private property is admissible as evidence providing it is of satisfactory quality and shows something relevant to the case. Signage does not come into it.
As long as you don't have the ability to track (IE not a ptz camera but fixed) and it doesn't look directly in to someone elses property, has the focus on yours , you are permitted to cover public areas recording if someone walks past etc through that field of view.
If it's admissible in court is decided on a case by case basis, usually based on quality of recording but certainly for now domestic properties are exempt from many of the CCTV laws for now .
I have a six camera set up and don't blank out overlooking g areas but use the masking tool to focus the motion sensors to record only when in areas of my property, that said it will continue to record when they then walk out of that etc. Police have contact me before asking if the cameras caught an incident on the other side of the road before to help then, which it did, so they had no problems with placement at that time.- as long as its only recording your property and any offence occurs on your property then you can use it I'm evidence, you don't need signs up.
signs must be used for commercial property to tell you that you are being recorded 
Bit of a grey area. My friend had his house burgled and had CCTV evidence of the criminals entering the property and then driving away in his car. Get this. Because the scum were only seen entering the property and they couldn't be seen taking anything or driving away in the car, the court stated that the footage was inadmissible.
I have CCTV at home but have it inside and outside the house now.
I've also been told that I must display a CCTV sign for it to be admissible.
I have CCTV. Recently recorded a crime on my property. I don't have signs though camera's are very visible. It did count as evidence. If it had any other clips outside of my own land that had to he hidden or clipped out. The main factor seemed to be the quality of the images.- Anonymous UserLatest I have learned on CCTV footage being admissible in a UK court of law isn't good news. It would appear that if a CCTV camera is directed at a Public area, such as a road or footpath, evidence of any criminal activity is inadmissible. So, it's not clear cut that even if you have such evidence on CCTV, that it will lead to a conviction. And this from a Housing Association's ASB Officer having difficulty prosecuting someone for allowing their dog to foul on a public footpath and failing to clean it up. The court threw it out, suggesting the CCTV infringed the dog owner's privacy rights. I wonder would they adopt the same view if I caught him in the act and rubbed his flaming nose in it!
- Anonymous User
19/12/2016 00:55
Latest I have learned on CCTV footage being admissible in a UK court of …Latest I have learned on CCTV footage being admissible in a UK court of law isn't good news. It would appear that if a CCTV camera is directed at a Public area, such as a road or footpath, evidence of any criminal activity is inadmissible. So, it's not clear cut that even if you have such evidence on CCTV, that it will lead to a conviction. And this from a Housing Association's ASB Officer having difficulty prosecuting someone for allowing their dog to foul on a public footpath and failing to clean it up. The court threw it out, suggesting the CCTV infringed the dog owner's privacy rights. I wonder would they adopt the same view if I caught him in the act and rubbed his flaming nose in it!
When it comes to household cctv if your camera covers any part of road/pavements you must be registered with the ICO ( information commissioner's office this covers you for any cctv that leads onto public space outwith your grounds - Signs must be visible with a contact phone number, recording must have date and time recorded onto the video stream. If you want it to stand up in court of law. Any areas of coverage that look at private property must be blanked out on the controller/dvr.
- We have CCTV and the police have downloaded some footage of a crime happening at a neighbour's house, which happens to be in the line of one of our cameras. We only have a window sticker saying we have CCTV on the premises. I am assuming we are ok legally or the police would have informed us when they came and viewed the footage?
Not sure if it will be used in court tho' 
I have four stationed around my house that covered the property and partial areas of around the house such as part of the street my car is parked on.
No signs needed as the majority of the image is inside my property boundaries with id say about 30% looking into public space and not directly at anyone house.
As for buying If you want top quality for evidence purposes towards any potential crime then I cannot stress the need for HD-SDi camera which output at 1.3-2 mega pixels and a decent quality on zoom enough to to read a car reg plate clearly,
Also noted that the DVR has to be able to record in a high enough resolution to be justify the camera. A decent 4 camera set up for HD will be around £300-500
No. Private property is exempt from any signage. U can record what's on your property and further like the road in front. In the case where a crime has been commuted any footage is exempt and can be used even if no signage present. The only problem is to try and keep the time correct as it can be an issue in court.
(edited)- we were always told there needs to be adequate signage up of at least A4 size when I used to be an installer some 20 years ago for it to stand up in court.
- the new law from 25th may called the GDPR is a shake up about data and the way it is used and the CCTV is now a part of it.
If you have CCTV at a home (not business) you should have a sign up to cover yourself and not use it in a manner that is know as voyeurism and also a good reason why you have it. I hold both ds and CCTV sia badges and also done the course this week on data protection at work and the new gdpr as im going to make my own mobile CCTV van for security events my team work out.
the ICO wants everyone with a cctv (business or home) to pay the £35 to be on the public list on who has cctv. CCTV also at your house can lower your cover. It should only be within your property boundary and if (this is the main part ) IF it is recording, how long are you keeping the data for. - Anonymous UserMy nxt door neighbour has cctv and audio and is using it 2 spy on me and send to the housing I’m fuming Carnt even speak in my own gsrden
27/05/2018 14:54
I'm sure that's illegal Jane. I'd look on the ICO website and seek advice, breach of data there in my eyesMy nxt door neighbour has cctv and audio and is using it 2 spy on me and …My nxt door neighbour has cctv and audio and is using it 2 spy on me and send to the housing I’m fuming Carnt even speak in my own gsrden
- Anonymous UserGood Afternoon
I installed a WiFi camera to the front and the rear of my property and last nite 3 cars were torched and written off.
Front camera recorded someone pass my house at approx 3 minutes later when the cars exploded and I have it on my system.
I never had a sign up on my window but I honestly don’t think he noticed anything of the nature.
The police have viewed the so called evidence and asked us if we had anything up at the window I said no he replied (in a manner that I need to display a sign).
Do I need window stickers Non Law Or Ledal stickers cause I’m confused.
I have A4 laminated signs provide for me by the police with there logo etc on it and also say working in partnership with the police and they are in yellow background and makes it very obvious to criminals etc to target our house because of our signs.
Can I put non law enforced window posters on my house and am I within the law to do this please.
Thanks for reading this - I think you all need to read up on the new laws.. GDPR
ico.org.uk/you…tv/
Taking this new law as read, you can be regarded as a data controller for using a Ring doorbell if it captures anyone passing by your property. - Anonymous User
27/07/2019 04:39
Comment deleted
Gotta love you were horrified at them snooping! a tad hypocritical ? - Bumping this.
I'm having cctv installed, front of house it will be capturing the public footpath too, probably abit of road.
It's 2020, do I need to have a cctv in operation sign up?What must I do if I capture images of people outside my own home and garden?If you are capturing images beyond your property boundary, you should have a clear and justifiable reason for doing so. In particular, you will need to think why you need these images. If asked by an individual or the ICO, you will need to be able to explain your reasons, so you should write them down now. You should also write down why you think capturing the images is more important than invading the privacy of your neighbours and passers-by.
You will also need to:- Let people know you are using CCTV by putting up signs saying that recording is taking place, and why.
- Ensure you don’t capture more footage than you need to achieve your purpose in using the system.
- Ensure the security of the footage you capture – in other words, holding it securely and making sure nobody can watch it without good reason.
- Only keep the footage for as long as you need it – delete it regularly, and when it is no longer needed.
- Ensure the CCTV system is only operated in ways you intend and can’t be misused for other reasons. Anyone you share your property with, such as family members who could use the equipment, needs to know the importance of not misusing it.
Snippet taken from ICO
- With my ring cameras there is a couple of stickers so shoved them front and back job done
- There is no expectation of privacy in a public place. You may record any subject without their consent, including minors.
This is the premise by which video/photo journalism operates. You do not need to inform people of your recording/photography.
Everywhere you move in public within the UK, you are being captured by video which records images and stores them for 30-days.
You may NOT, however, operate cctv that can see into a private house.
TLDR: You do not need to notify anyone of your CCTV, although in practise it may serve as a better deterent to crime.
More and more homes are opting to install video surveillance in the form of smart home cameras or full-fledged CCTV systems. While this can be a great way to deter burglaries, British data protection laws have some requirements that you may need to be aware of depending on the area you’re recording. The law on CCTV signs can be a bit complicated, so we’ve made this short guide that should make it a bit easier to understand.
If you have CCTV do you need a sign?
There are certain circumstances when you need a sign showing that you’re using and CCTV and other in which this isn’t necessary. Let’s look at each case and its requirements:
CCTV signs - legal requirements
If you choose to inform people that you’re using CCTV via a sign, then there are some legal requirements that you need to follow. It’s important that you take note of these requirements, as failing to do so could lead to you incurring penalties and fines. As this is an issue partially regulated by the GDPR, it is also something that may change post-Brexit, so use the below guidelines with some caution after the UK has exited the EU.
There are a host of other legal requirements that you also need to comply with if you intend to monitor a public space. The Information Commissioner’s Office has prepared a webpage listing these that you can use as a reference.