Guidance note
NR/GN/TEL/50017
CCTV for Stations - Functional, Technical and Operational Requirements
Issue 1, August 2006
Guidance on station and car park security CCTV: what it is for, recommended recording, export and replay functions for police use, camera placement priorities and view categories by station area, and how to manage, operate and maintain the system.
Clause map — what each clause deals with
| 1 | Purpose | Guidance on what station CCTV should do technically and operationally; not prescriptive, actual provision set by risk assessment at each site |
| 2 | Scope | Public safety and security CCTV at stations and car parks only; excludes DOO, non-public areas, on-train and level crossing CCTV |
| 3 | Reference documentation | Lists the legal admissibility code, data protection law, Home Office/PSDB CCTV and digital imaging guides, and the ICO CCTV code |
| 4 | Definitions | Abbreviations used, e.g. ACPO, BTP, FTN, HDD, ICC, PTZ, Rotakin, TRANSEC |
| 5 | Introduction and Background | Why the note was written: inconsistent standalone station systems exposed by the 2005 London attacks; explains how the later sections fit together |
| 6 | Purpose of CCTV | Lists what station CCTV is used for, from deterring crime and supporting prosecutions to crowd and operational management |
| 7 | Recommended Functional and System Performance Requirements | Recommended functions and performance, based on police digital CCTV guidance |
| 7.1 | Planning and Preparation | Define what the system must do first: involve the local authority early and do a crime audit with BTP to set camera numbers and views |
| 7.2 | Functional Requirements for Consideration | Items to weigh by risk and station group: retention period, BTP playback and remote viewing, open protocols, off-site backup, downloads, frame rates, evidence protection |
| 7.3 | Digital Images | Limits of digital zoom, not over-compressing to save storage, and keeping time/date/camera data identical on replay |
| 7.4 | Lighting | Design CCTV and lighting together; do not rely on camera sensitivity to make up for poor lighting |
| 7.5 | Data Export and Remote Access | Networked or removable-drive export, download time targets, remote access via FTN or similar, media formats, replay software and audit trail |
| 7.6 | Compression and Replay | Export without degrading images, and what replay software should let an investigator do (search, speed control, multi-camera, print/save) |
| 8 | System Design Guidelines | Key design-stage issues for a station CCTV project |
| 8.1 | Equipment Control Rooms | Rooms housing control and recording kit need a suitable environment for reliability |
| 8.2 | Positioning Cameras with Prioritisation | Table ranking station areas into camera categories (mandated, operational, supplementary) to prioritise coverage at survey; keep a camera schematic |
| 8.3 | Fields of View and Floor Area Coverage | Five view categories (monitor, detect, recognise, identify) by percent of screen, with a table of recommended view and floor coverage per station area |
| 9 | Management | Managing the system and its stored recordings |
| 9.1 | Policy | Control and log access to the system and recordings to prevent tampering |
| 9.2 | Protection, Access and Retaining Recordings | Physical and electronic protection, secure cabinets, retention, data protection policy, and periodic picture-quality testing with a Rotakin target day and night |
| 10 | Operation | Day-to-day operation: correct synchronised time and date, a trained operator and user guide, and knowing export times and retention |
| 11 | Maintenance | Keep a camera schematic and field-of-view library, routine cleaning and checks, remote health checks and practised download procedures |
| 12 | Useful Links | Web links to Home Office and police CCTV guidance pages (dated) |