The 2017 CCTV User Group’s Annual Conference was held at the Chesford Grange Hotel near Kenilworth, in the sunny Warwickshire countryside. Monday started with registration, the Group’s Annual Golf Tournament, and a networking session with a Caribbean-themed barbecue in the evening.
Tuesday started with a keynote presentation by Tony Porter, the Surveillance Camera Commissioner (SCC). A return speaker at the annual event, his presentation included the launch of his National Strategy and the work streams to support the strategy together with his vision for its implementation.
Anne Russell followed, Senior Policy Officer from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the data protection watchdog. Anne spoke on changes to the Data Protection Act which would become the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) once EU directives are added and the new Regulation is expected to come into force in mid-2018.
Kevin White from the London Borough of Lambeth gave an introduction into the work he and other members are doing on one of the work streams mentioned by Tony Porter. In Kevin’s case, they are working on a National Service Level Agreement between local authorities, the police, and other agencies for the sharing of information. This was followed by Dr Craig Donald from South Africa who gave the delegates an insight into a criminal’s body language and how operators can spot suspicious signs; a subject which piqued a lot of interest.
In view of the terrorist attack on Manchester Arena the night before, perhaps the most timely and relevant presentation was given by a regional officer of the police’s Counter Terrorist Command which was delivered to a riveted audience. The presentation gave an overview of the Counter Terrorist Command’s role and work a brief on previous operations and successes, an update on threats and how CCTV helped the police detect and prevent attacks and how it enabled the police to gather evidence for investigations and convictions. The officer finished by thanking delegates for the work they do and the valuable contribution they make to the Command’s work.
Tuesday rounded off with the annual dinner, where delegates were able to relax in good company and were well fed and entertained. This conference was notable for two extra reasons. It was the CCTV User Group’s 21st anniversary conference; and it was announced at the dinner that Peter Fry, its long-standing Managing Director would retire on June 30, 2017.
Peter has overseen the CCTV User Group through most of the past 21 years and his work on behalf of end users cannot be overstated. He has had a significant impact in developing the CCTV industry in the UK into what it has become today and all of us in the CCTV User Group will miss his wise advice, commitment, and hard work on our behalf. Nor should we forget the people who have ably supported him in achieving this remarkable feat, Debbie Houlder has been his strong right arm and Keri Pearson and latterly Lisa Sayers have been invaluable in the admin support they have provided. To Peter and Debbie, we give our thanks and best wishes for a long and happy retirement.
It was announced that Peter Webster, CCTV Manager at Slough Borough Council, and Honorary Chairman of the CCTV User Group for the past six years, will take over from Peter Fry on July 1, 2017 and will be ably supported by his partner Evelyne.
Wednesday started with a presentation on financing CCTV control rooms and was followed by Vikram Sahdev from the Medway Commercial Group (MCG) who gave a briefing on how the MCG had moved from a merger between two local authority CCTV systems and developed into an Arms-Length Company providing a range of services to the public and private sector.
This was followed by Tracy Umney and Sarah Pope from the London Borough of Southwark who gave a short introduction into how they had developed partnership working within their borough and how its joined up approach and analysis of how crime data influences the use of CCTV, preventative strategies and police working within the Borough.
There were also presentations by Tim Jones of Comtrol, Mick Neville of Neville Forensic Recognition Ltd, Ross Johnstone and David Short from Wireless CCTV and Gautam Goradia from Com-Sur who all gave presentations on new and improved technologies and new ways of improving what CCTV managers do.
The CCTV User Group has always recognised excellence in its members and has a long established annual awards system for those within the Group who excel. The first such annual award is for Public Sector Innovation and Management and the winners this year were: Tracy Umney from the London Borough of Southwark, pictured receiving the plaque from Martin Beaumont; Neil Harvey from Nottingham City Council; Ben Church of Southampton City Watch; and Steve Woollard from Bedford Borough Council.
The second annual award goes to the CCTV Team who have shown excellence in their service delivery over the year and this year two teams earned the award; from the London Borough of Southwark and from Bournemouth Borough Council.
The final presentation of the conference was delivered by Peter Webster, the designated Managing Director of the CCTV User Group in which he set out his vision for the future of User Group. These included:
a.Always putting members’ interests first
b.Embracing new technology and developing a Members web portal
c.Understanding all aspects of surveillance and sharing it widely
d.Working with regulators, partners, and academics; and
e.Publicising members’ success and best practice examples.
What is the CCTV User Group?
The CCTV User Group is primarily a member-led organisation for end users; namely CCTV managers from across the industry including local authorities, the NHS, universities, transport systems, and the private sector. Its aim is to bring end users together with manufacturers, consultants, suppliers, and others to help develop best practice within the CCTV industry to keep members informed of technological developments and to influence debate and Government policies and appropriate legislation of CCTV and surveillance in general. If you would like to know more about the CCTV User Group, contact Peter Webster on 07867-501461. Visit https://www.cctvusergroup.com/.
