CCTV and your rights.

StuartH

StuartH

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Due to a few issues I am having cctv installed tomorrow at the front and rear of our house.I know as soon as it goes up certain neighbours will complain but from my extensive searching on the net and asking around etc it seems they cant do much about it unless its directly pointed at their property..even then that seems a grey area!.Inevitably the way are back gardens are its going to catch some of the back of their garden but this cant be helped as its also an entry point between both houses that I want to monitor.I am getting it installed through a professional company and they have given some great advice but just wondered if anyone here could offer anything.
 
My understanding is the same as yours really. As long as it's not intrusive to their property it should be ok.
 
That seems to be the general consensus mate..Just thought i would ask on here in case anyone had had issues with neighbours objecting to it.
 
You can put one up legally without any problems.
As you say it having your neighbours property in the field of view is the issue.
They would have to take action against you in civil court for harassment/Human rights act or whatever other civil wrong their solicitor can dream up.
BUT, then it's a case of "Prove it".
Judges are not stupid, nor are they just going to leap to one side if you can show counter evidence. If it happens to have the top of your neighbours fence in the field of view for example, he'd have a hard job proving it is harassment or interfering with his right to privacy.
If its focused on his bedroom window though, you would have no chance!

Have you thought about getting one with a narrower field of view? Or getting in touch with the local crime prevention officer?
 
Have spoke to several people and seems as long, as you say, that its not directly and blatantly aimed at their property it should be ok.Just seems everyone from the police to the council to ebven the cctv guys have different ideas of what legal and whats not
 
Well, your cctv can cover the communal entrances / exits / areas, but the company installing need to narrow the view to not include their private garden (for instance).
OR, if cctv evidence is ever required, they can insist that that coverage of their (for want of a better word) private spaces are obscured.
This, of course, is not the case if the police demand footage in relation to a serious crime that could involve a suspect gaining entry / exit via their property.
 
Would be almost impossible not to catch part of the rear of their garden as there is an alleyway between our gardens with a gate at the end so to get footage of the gate that goes into a communal area part of the very rear of their garden will be in it..
 
Not sure if this still holds, but when I was having problems I was told that if the footage was to be used as evidence I did need to have a warning
sign stating there was CCTV
 
Apparently not ingrid on private properties.
 
No sign for private property just commercial.

On most systems, if the neighbours kick up stink you should be able to put a black box over the area you want to remove.

Ask the installer if you can do it on the system and get them to show you how, if you don't like to fiddle.
 
The thing to do is to speak to your neighbours. I'm guessing your installing it because there are issues in the neighbourhood. Unless it's the neighbours you wish to record, then surely if you pitch it right they'd support your attempts at improving the neighbourhood?

I wouldn't start with the 'I'm in the right' type of approach, but go in with the softly softly approach.
 
Its the neighbours and their offspring which are the reason I am istalling it.Recently caught their kids throwing stones over into my garden..just missing myself and the dogs have also had damage to car on the driveway several times although cant pin that on them.
 
Serieslandy said:
On most systems, if the neighbours kick up stink you should be able to put a black box over the area you want to remove.

Ask the installer if you can do it on the system and get them to show you how, if you don't like to fiddle.
Click to expand...
This ^^

All IP systems i've encountered and most decent analogue systems incorporating privacy masking / obfuscation of some description. Mask out the problem area, problem solved.
 
If you can see it from the street its fair game. There was a program on a month or so back about CCTV and some absolute Muppet was filming his street with a PTZ camera. I thought he had gone too far as he focused on the Female student house opposite. No assumed right to privacy in a public place.

I can't believe he didn't get done especially when focused on said student house and they opened the front door and you could see right into their house.
 
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