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Recording Medium Management

Are you looking after your recordings?

In the main, CCTV is used to prevent crime. This prevention deterrent relies on the continuing success of detection of Crime. To ensure detection, all of the above points must be adhered to and proper and adequate management of your recordings is a must. In terms of the Data Protection Act, you should be keeping taped recordings for not less than 28 days. The length of time digital recordings can be stored is largely dependant upon the capacity of the system, so it makes sense to go for the largest capacity affordable. When not being used, recordings should be stored in a secure location.

Each tape or digital recording used should be 'auditable' - a record of when it has been used should be kept. Recommendations by the Home Office suggest that VCR tapes should have no more than 12 plays. The tape stretches and the tape information retention degrades with each play. Prior to reuse, the information on a tape should be erased. Digital recordings should automatically erase data after retention for a reasonable time, again based on the capacity of the recorder.

Consider :

  • Quality - Fit a system which will provide images allowing for facial recognition. Do not assume the quality on the screen will be the same when played back or printed out. Also, ensure the clock is kept up to date taking into account GMT and BST.
  • Storage - the system needs to be able to store images within a secure environment while allowing authorised access to recordings. The system should also have enough space for 31 days of good quality pictures and allow selected images to be saved separately for review at a later date.
  • Export - the system should allow replay and export of the images onto a format viewable by the Police. This would normally be a tape recording or still picture. However, images saved onto CD are also usable provided it's of a format which can be read by the Police computer system.
  • Playback - when reviewing images captured the system should allow for variable speed control including frame by frame viewing.