CCTV Coverage and Information

Chris made this Freedom of Information request to Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

The request was successful.

From: Chris

31 October 2008

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please provide information on the following:

i) The number of CCTV cameras installed in public areas which are
controlled, monitored or operated by Newcastle City Council and the
general capability of those cameras (i.e resolution, frames per
second, remote movement/focus control, viable range).

- Do any of the cameras have infra-red capabilities?

ii) How many staff are involved in the monitoring of the CCTV
feeds.

iii) If any of the Council's monitoring provisions include audio
capabilities.

iv) The location/address of the Council's main monitoring station.

v) If there is a database or list of locations of installed
cameras.

vi) If (v) exists does it contain information on the capabilities
of those cameras (i.e. resolution, frames per second and infra-red
capabilities) or the direction / target of those cameras.

vii) If (v) is true, for a copy of said database to be supplied.

viii) What is the data retention time of the images recorded.

ix) Is there any ancillary equipment being used that can
automatically track a single individual between cameras, or
automatically detect an individual within a number of camera feeds
based on a previous facial image (e.g. neural net software).

x) If the CCTV scheme is subcontracted, the names of the companies
subcontracted to and the approximate annual costs paid.

Thank you for your assistance.

Yours Sincerely,
Chris Dunn

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From: Gov, Freedomofinformation@Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

3 November 2008

Dear Mr Dunn,

RFI.08.1253

Thank you for your request for information received on 31 October 2008.
I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act
2000.

I have passed your request to relevant colleagues, and we will respond
to your request within 20 working days.

Regards,

Peter Dinsdale
FOI & Data Protection Officer
0191 277 7038 ext 27038

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From: Dinsdale, Peter
Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

13 November 2008

Dear Mr Dunn,

I have been asked for clarification on part of your request. Could you
please let me know what you mean by "public areas" in part (i) of your
request? Are you referring to public space cameras which cover public
areas outside, or do you also include cameras within buildings in that
definition?

Regards,

Peter Dinsdale
FOI & Data Protection Officer
0191 277 7038 ext 27038

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From: Chris

13 November 2008

Dear Peter,
To clarify, "public areas" means "an area or place that is open and
accessible to all citizens" - if special privilege is required to
access an area it won't be classed as public.

Specifically the information I request is "public space cameras
which cover public areas outside".

Thanks for your time Peter.

Yours sincerely,
Chris

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From: Chris

18 November 2008

Dear Peter, To clarify, "public areas" means "an area or place that
is open and accessible to all citizens" - if special privilege is
required to access an area it won't be classed as public.

Specifically the information I request is "public space cameras
which cover public areas outside".

Thanks for your time Peter.

Yours sincerely, Chris

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From: Dinsdale, Peter
Newcastle upon Tyne City Council

20 November 2008

Attachment NCC FOI CCTV list.xls
48K Download View as HTML

Dear Chris,

Thank you for your request for information received on 31 October 2008
for details of CCTV cameras in public areas which are controlled,
monitored or operated by Newcastle City Council. Please see below for
answers to your questions.

(i) See the attached spread sheet for all public space cameras currently
recorded for Newcastle City Council. We are in the process of updating
our records but this information will not be available until March 2009.

All cameras listed are fully functional with manual and auto zoom and
focus facilities. There is no standard camera specified so camera
resolution figures can vary for each unit.

A number of cameras are fitted with infra-red lighting; however the use
of such lighting is limited depending on the camera location and
mounting height as infra-red has a very limited capability.

(ii) 27 staff are involved in the monitoring of the CCTV feeds

(iii) The City Council does not use any form of audio on public space
CCTV systems. Help points that allow the public to talk to car parking
attendants are used in some car parks. The audio can only be activated
from the street end by the public.

(iv) The city council has three sites for CCTV monitoring:
1. Atkinson House, Cypress Ave, Fenham
2. Civic Centre
3. Percy Street, Car Parking

(v), (vi), (vii) Please see attached

(viii) The usual period of time to store images is 31 days; however in
some cases this may be shorter depending on the operational needs of the
system in question.

(ix) There are no automated or analytical software products used within
the CCTV systems.

(x) There is no element of contracting for CCTV works.

If you are unhappy with the information supplied you can ask for an
internal review of our decision. Please send details of your request
for review to the following address:

Corporate Information Governance Officer
Chief Executive's Office
Civic Centre
Barras Bridge
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE99 2BN
Telephone: 0191 211 6644
E-mail: [Newcastle upon Tyne City Council request email]

If you are still unhappy with how the Council has handled your request
you can write to the Information Commissioner asking for an assessment
to be made. Contact details are as follows:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545745
E-mail: [email address]

Regards,

Peter Dinsdale
FOI & Data Protection Officer
0191 277 7038 ext 27038

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