Taxi drivers in Telford to face new rules over CCTV
Taxi operators will have to hand over footage from their in-car CCTV systems if the authorities request it, under proposed new license conditions.
Surveillance cameras are not required by law, but Telford & Wrekin Council encourages voluntary installation in the vehicles it licenses.
In a report for the authority's licensing committee, public protection manager Anita Hunt says the revised Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy will ensure systems comply with council standards and will require video to “be made readily available to an authorised officer”.
The new rules also nominate the council as “data controller” for footage gathered by the CCTV.
Ms Hunt say this will “reduce the burden on operators and drivers in relation to time and expenditure”.
Telford & Wrekin Council consulted on its revised policy between January 18 and February 15.
“The main consideration, when reviewing the council’s policies and conditions of licence, remains ensuring public safety,” Ms Hunt writes.
“Licensing authorities have a legal duty to have regard to the statutory standards relating to Hackney carriage and private hire licensing.”
Nominate
Ms Hunt says those standards say CCTV can “deter, prevent and reduce the fear of crime, assist the police in investigating crime and assist motor insurance companies in investigating vehicle accidents”, yet “do not mandate the requirement of CCTV in vehicles”.
However, she adds, Telford & Wrekin Council “encourages drivers and operators to install it on a voluntary basis”.
“If approved by committee, a condition will be imposed upon private hire vehicle and Hackney carriage licences issued by the council to ensure that the CCTV complies with the council’s CCTV policy in licensed vehicles and access to it must be made readily available to an authorised officer,” she writes.
The updated policy will nominate the council as the “data controller”, making it “responsible for managing data in compliance with requirements set by the Information Commissioner’s Office”, she adds.
Guidance at the ICO’s website defines “data controllers” as “the main decision makers [who] exercise overall control over the purposes and means of the processing of personal data”.
Ms Hunt stated: “By being the data controller, the council provides partial oversight of data management and it reduces the burden on operators and drivers in relation to time and expenditure.”
Ms Hunt recommends the 11-member licensing committee approves the updated policy when it meets remotely on Tuesday, March 16. If it does so, it will come into force on Thursday, April 1.
