Guidance

Surveillance Camera Commissioner's buyer's toolkit

The toolkit is a guide for the non-expert who is thinking about buying a surveillance camera system.

Documents

Surveillance camera commissioner's buyer's toolkit

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alternativeformats@homeoffice.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

The buyer’s toolkit has been produced as guidance for the non-expert who is thinking about buying a surveillance camera system and wants to maximise their chance of success (and minimise risk) by observing the principles of good practice.

The primary target audience is small and medium sized enterprises (up to 250 staff) and micro-businesses (up to 9 staff). The 5-stage approach in the buyer’s toolkit is guidance which would be valuable for any organisation considering the use of surveillance cameras.

Following this guidance will help you to make informed decisions about whether surveillance can be justified as a solution to your problems. If deploying surveillance cameras is necessary, then the toolkit is full of advice and tips on how to get the best out of your prospective suppliers.

This toolkit has been developed under the National Surveillance Camera Strategy for England and Wales as a tool that will help security industry suppliers demonstrate to their customers that they understand, and follow, good practice and legal obligations.

Formatted as an interactive PDF file, you can get the maximum functionality by downloading the document and opening it in a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat. Alternatively, you can view this toolkit in your browser but without the same level of functionality.

For relevant authorities under Section 33(5) of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, and larger organisations, you may want to refer to the Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s passport to compliance.

Published 25 May 2018
Last updated 11 April 2022 + show all updates
  1. Reassigned the page to be owned by Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner.

  2. First published.