Privacy watchdog calls for curbs on CCTVs in pubs and clubs
Hospitality operators should not become information-gathering sources for police and there should be strict rules on the use of CCTV, the Government's privacy watchdog has warned.
The Information Commissioner's Office, which is responsible for protecting personal data, is demanding curbs on the use of CCTV and identity scanners in pubs and clubs.
The move follows concerns that landlords are sometimes pressured by police into filming or gathering personal details about their customers without proper justification.
The main fear, it states, is that licensing conditions are being used to compel the owners of bars and clubs to install CCTV or identify scanners which can store customer fingerprints and personal details.
New guidelines should also be introduced that stop potential police pressure on businesses to retain film and other data for excessive periods, the watchdog says.
David Smith, deputy information commissioner told the Evening Standard: "What we are worried about is that businesses are being forced into gathering information for police and the law enforcement agencies.
"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-athering sources for police."
Smith called for clear guidance and added: "We wonder how many landlords have simply gone along with police demands when there weren't any proper grounds to do so."
Earlier this month, the Government opened a 12-week consultation on a new mandatory code on the sale and promotion of alcohol. The proposals will allow councils to force licensed premises to operate a Challenge 21 scheme, ban glass and introduce CCTV.
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By Helen Gilbert
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