The 18th edition of CCTV User Group’s annual conference, set to take place from the 19th to the 21st of May at the Daventry Court Hotel in Daventry, is filling up quickly. There are still nine weeks to go, and already more than 75% of room space has been allocated along with 100% of all exhibition spaces; although there may be an opportunity to increase this.
This year’s event has been formulated along the theme ‘Prepare for CCTV Changes’. Speaking about this, Peter Fry, Director of the CCTV User Group, said: “The aim with this theme is to provide a platform to reflect on a variety of changes that are expected to be introduced in 2014 and 2015 which will have an affect on the way all Local Authority CCTV Managers operate, as well as affecting the acceptability of certain types of systems that might be considered unacceptable, e.g. body worn cameras.”
He added: “The main critical issues that we will discuss include CCTV Regulation, and the affect the Freedoms Act and the Code of Practice will have; the appointment of the new Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Tony Porter QPM; the Information Commissioner’s revised Code of Practice for CCTV; and the close working relationship between the Surveillance Camera Commissioner and the Information Commissioner. In addition, we will look at the ‘re-born’ Security Industry Authority and the introduction of business licences, which may be of great interest to some Local Authorities.”
Newly appointed Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Tony Porter QPM, will be presenting at the conference, together with the Home Office team, to update all delegates on major current issues. He will also be involved in the workshops that follow. This provides a prime opportunity for all delegates to ‘get up to speed’ and network with Mr Porter.
Jonathan Bamford, Head of Strategic Liaison and a popular speaker at CCTV User Group conferences, will be at the event to talk about the new Code of Practice and a Generic Impact Assessment. He will also express concerns about CCTV captured by body worn video and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as CCTV with audio in taxis and ANPR around small towns, and the extensive use of CCTV for parking and road traffic enforcement by regional councils.
At previous conferences there have been presentations on ‘Super Recognisers’, and on this occasion delegates have the opportunity to hear from Dr Josh Davis, a renowned researcher, who has studied what makes a ‘Super Recogniser’. He will also update delegates about his most recent research. This will be followed by a presentation from DCI Mick Neville who will deliver an update on the achievements of Super Recognisers and their practical value in identification and seeking convictions.
Finally, at the 2013 conference Synectics organised an independent public survey into “What the Public think of CCTV”. This year, in conjunction with the CCTV User Group, Synectics will be funding a similar project and will not only detail the results but also respond to delegate’s views in an open discussion and debate.
With spaces filling up quickly delegates wishing to attend should register their interest as soon as possible by emailing Debbie@cctvusergroup.com to book their place.
Don’t forget to look out for the next edition of CCTV Image magazine, produced for the CCTV User Group in partnership with SecurityNewsDesk, which will be released very soon. You can find the previous issue here.
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