Watchdog: Police should not force pubs to use CCTV
Strict curbs on the use of CCTV and identity scanners in pubs and clubs are to be demanded by the Government's privacy watchdog in a new bid to prevent the growth of a "surveillance society" in Britain.
The Information Commissioner's Office, which is responsible for protecting personal data, will make the call because of concern that police are sometimes pressuring landlords into filming or gathering personal details about their customers without proper justification.
The main fear, which will be set out in a submission to the Home Office, is that licensing conditions are being used to compel the owners of bars and clubs to install CCTV or identity scanners which can store customers' fingerprints and personal details.
The watchdog is also concerned about potential police pressure on businesses to retain film and other data for excessive periods and wants new guidelines to be introduced to prevent the practice.
Deputy Information Commissioner David Smith said that although ministers had ruled out the use of "blanket" CCTV in pubs in a recent consultation on a new code of conduct for alcohol sales, strict new guidelines to limit police demands were still needed.
"What we are worried about is that businesses are being forced into gathering information for police and the law enforcement agencies," he told the Evening Standard.
"The question is whether we are going too far and is this surveillance at a level that is unacceptable that doesn't justify the benefits. Pubs and clubs should not become information gathering sources for police.
"We have built up more and more surveillance of people's lives and it is important that we keep a check on the overall purpose and whether what goes on is proportionate and effective."
Mr Smith said that while police could be entitled to require the installation of such systems in pubs and clubs where there had been a history of violence, they should not be able to insist on their deployment elsewhere.
Mr Smith added: "CCTV and identity scanners can be acceptable if they the business wants them, but what we are concerned about is that instead they are being forced by the police into collecting information for policing purposes.
"We want to see some very clear guidance on how far the police can go and, at the moment, we wonder how many landlords have simply gone along with police demands when there weren't any proper grounds to do so."
