Police forces in the UK are shot through with Chinese camera
technology, according to a survey by the Office of the Biometrics
and Surveillance Camera Commissioner...
The survey, conducted by
the Office of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner
(OBSCC) in the second half of 2022, asked all 43 police force
areas in England and Wales, as well as the British Transport
Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the Ministry of Defence,
and the National Crime Agency, about their use and
governance of public surveillance camera systems including on
drones and helicopters, body-worn video, ANPR (automatic
number plate recognition), and any other relevant systems.
Thirty-nine responses were received out of a possible total of
47. Key findings include that:
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at least 18 respondents say that their external camera
systems use equipment about which there have been security or
ethical concerns (including Dahua, Hikvision, Honeywell and
Huawei, and Nuuo)
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at least 24 respondents say that their internal camera
systems use equipment about which there have been security or
ethical concerns (including Dahua, Hikvision, Honeywell and
Huawei, and Nuuo)
-
at least 11 respondents say their ANPR systems
use equipment about which there have been security or ethical
concerns
-
at least 2 respondents use cameras made by Hikvision in their
body-worn video systems
-
23 of the 31 respondents who said they operate cameras on
drones / unmanned aerial vehicles (variously with video,
audio, and thermal imaging and/or night vision capability),
said they were aware of security or ethical concerns about
the manufacturer of their drones, Chinese company, DJI
Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner Fraser Sampson
said:
It is abundantly clear from this detailed analysis of the survey
results that the police estate in the UK is shot through with
Chinese surveillance cameras. It is also clear that the forces
deploying this equipment are generally aware that there are
security and ethical concerns about the companies that supply
their kit.
There has been a lot in the news in recent days about how
concerned we should be about Chinese spy balloons 60,000 feet up
in the sky. I do not understand why we are not at least as
concerned about the Chinese cameras 6 feet above our head in the
street and elsewhere.
Clearly it is vital sometimes that the police must be able to use
intrusive surveillance technology in public places. But if they
want the public to trust them to do so, they must be able to
persuade us, not only that they are working partners and
providers that can be trusted, but also that they will use the
technology available to them lawfully, responsibly and
according to a set of clear agreed principles.
Parliament has already acted to curtail the use of equipment made
by several Chinese manufacturers from some areas of public life
where security is key. Myself and others have been saying for
some time that we should, both for security and ethical reasons,
really be asking ourselves whether it is ever appropriate for
public bodies to use equipment made by companies with such
serious questions hanging over them.
The OBSCC sent the survey to the chief officers of the 47
policing bodies in June 2022. The document followed the
format of earlier surveys conducted by the Surveillance
Camera Commissioner in 2017 and 2019. The response rates for
previous surveys had been 100%, but the rate for the 2022 survey
fell to 91% (39 out of a possible 47) despite responses being
accepted more than 3 months after the initial deadline.
The survey report notes that the 2022 return was “disappointing
[with] some noticeable absences in returns this time, including
some of the larger police forces.”
A list of the bodies that did respond is included in an
appendix at the end of the report. The 8 which did not complete
the survey were: City of London Police, Gloucestershire Police,
Greater Manchester Police, Gwent Police, Merseyside Police,
National Crime Agency (NCA), South Yorkshire Police, Thames
Valley Police.
An initial analysis of the
survey was published in November 2022
