Bolton Council operates a number of CCTV systems for the purposes of preventing and detecting crime, controlling traffic and to keep people safe . The CCTV network covering the town centre is operated by NCP on behalf of the Council and is used to assist with the prevention, detection and reduction of crime.
CCTV recordings are automatically erased after one month and all footage is confidential and subject to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We are only able to release CCTV footage under certain circumstances and the ways in which you can request access to footage vary depending on those circumstances.
CCTV footage can be requested by the Police when they are investigating incidents. In the case of civil law, Insurance Companies and Solicitors may also request footage when they are investigating an insurance claim or other incidents for evidential purposes.
Members of the public can request footage of themselves only and this would be handled as a 'Subject Access Request'. Under the Data Protection Act we cannot release footage of other individuals, third parties or images that would lead to the identification of others, as this would be classed as their personal data and not suitable for release.
Please note that some of our cameras are fixed to a specific view whilst some of our cameras automatically rotate. This means that we may not have captured footage of an incident because the camera may be rotating to focus on a different area.
CCTV footage requests from insurance companies or legal representatives
We cannot release CCTV footage following a Subject Access Request where third party individuals can be identified unless those parties have consented to the disclosure.
We may also refuse to provide footage whereby doing so would be likely to prejudice:
- the prevention and detection of crime
- apprehension and prosecution of offenders
If no data is held with regard to your request, or the data falls into a category exempted from disclosure, you will be notified of this in writing.
Please note, if you have:
- been the victim of a crime
- been involved in a road traffic collision or
- are an insurance company or legal representative
we are unable to accept Subject Access Requests in these instances as we would only be able to provide images of you and not of third parties.
If you have been the victim of a crime, or it is a crime-related incident, you should report the matter to the Police by calling either 999 in an emergency or 101 in a non-emergency. The Police can make a request direct to us to view our footage and, if held, it will be provided to the Investigating Officer.
If you have been involved in a road traffic collision or incident (without Police involvement), then you should contact your solicitor to request the footage under Schedule 2, Part 1(5) of the Data Protection Act 2018. We are unable to release CCTV directly to insurance companies without a Court order but they can appoint a solicitor to request the CCTV footage.
If you have been involved in a car collision or incident with Police involvement, and you have a crime reference number, you should contact the Police directly to request CCTV footage and not the Council as you will be advised to re-contact the Police.
Please note CCTV footage cannot be used to sort out parking disputes or matters such as lost property.
If you want to request CCTV footage as an individual, please complete the CCTV subject access request form.
Further assistance
If you have a query relating to CCTV subject access requests, please email SubjectAccess@bolton.gov.uk
If you need to contact NCP please call 01204 336902