CCTV cameras across the London Underground network
Request ID: FOI-0077-1718
Date published: 06 July 2017
You asked
1) How many fixed CCTV cameras are there across the London Underground network, including stations and depots? (Please could you provide me with any maps or diagrams that may be useful).
2) Could you provide me with details of the amount of CCTV cameras in 2000 and in each year, up until present?
3) Please could you state the TSL objectives for the use and application of CCTV.
4) How much money has TSL has spent on CCTV in the last 10 years?
5) How long is CCTV footage kept for before it is automatically erased?
6) Are all the CCTV cameras constantly monitoring and recording the public?
7) Do you provide CCTV footage to any third parties and if so, please could you state whom?
8) Who has access to the footage and what are the protocols for accessing the footage? What are TSL safeguards relating to the access of CCTV footage?
10) In the year 2016, how many times was CCTV footage used in court as evidence for prosecutions brought upon by TFL.
11) In the year 2016, how many times was CCTV footage used in court as evidence for prosecutions brought upon by other agencies e.g. BTP.
12) Please could you state how many times CCTV has been used in specific locations to detect crime, e.g. crime hotspots, where CCTV is most effective.
13) Is facial recognition being used on the London Underground and if so please could you state the locations? I understand you conducted a trial on facial recognition technology in the past, please could you provide information on this study, including the date, location, methodology and results.
Finally, please could you provide any other information that you may deem relevant to the nature of these requests, e.g. maps, polices, protocols and so forth.
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-0077-1718
Thank you for your email received by us on 10 April 2017 asking for information about CCTV cameras across the London Underground network.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked:
Thank you for your response. Please could you omit question 9 from the request .
I ask that you answer as many of the questions that do not exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. Therefore, if a question exceeds this limit, please just remove it from the request and answer as much as you can within the limit.
1) How many fixed CCTV cameras are there across the London Underground network, including stations and depots? (Please could you provide me with any maps or diagrams that may be useful).
London Underground have 13,596 station surveillance cameras. Another 2,795 cameras are deployed at stations for one person operation that cover the platform edge and provide a view of the train and platform to allow drivers to confirm the position of customers along the length of the train. Not all of these are recorded though, and the view is sometimes replicated by the platform cameras.
We also have approximately 7,500 cameras across the fleet of trains and 649 non station cameras which account for the various areas in non public areas forming part of the operational railway, including depots, and where applicable, covering sidings and Train Crew Accommodation facilities.
2) Could you provide me with details of the amount of CCTV cameras in 2000 and in each year, up until present?
Unfortunately, to answer your request will exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described.
3) Please could you state the TSL objectives for the use and application of CCTV.
Please visit the following link:
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/privacy-and-cookies/cctv
4) How much money has TSL has spent on CCTV in the last 10 years?
Unfortunately, to answer your request will exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described.
5) How long is CCTV footage kept for before it is automatically erased?
Please visit the following link:
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/privacy-and-cookies/cctv
6) Are all the CCTV cameras constantly monitoring and recording the public?
As above.
7) Do you provide CCTV footage to any third parties and if so, please could you state whom?
As above.
8) Who has access to the footage and what are the protocols for accessing the footage? What are TSL safeguards relating to the access of CCTV footage?
As above.
9) Question withdrawn.
10) In the year 2016, how many times was CCTV footage used in court as evidence for prosecutions brought upon by TFL.
Unfortunately, to answer your request will exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described.
11) In the year 2016, how many times was CCTV footage used in court as evidence for prosecutions brought upon by other agencies e.g. BTP.
This information is not held by TfL.
12) Please could you state how many times CCTV has been used in specific locations to detect crime, e.g. crime hotspots, where CCTV is most effective.
The purposes for which CCTV are used by TfL are described on our website https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/privacy-and-cookies/cctv
A report on requests made by the police and other law enforcement agencies for the disclosure of personal data is considered annually by our Audit and Assurance Committee and this is published on our website. This includes statistics around requests. You can find the most recent report here which you may find useful: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/aac-20170314-part-1-item15-personal-data-disclosure.pdf
13) Is facial recognition being used on the London Underground and if so please could you state the locations? I understand you conducted a trial on facial recognition technology in the past, please could you provide information on this study, including the date, location, methodology and results.
Facial recognition is not currently being used in London Underground. You may wish to contact the Metropolitan Police who carried out a trial on facial recognition during the Notting Hill Carnival as they might be able to assist you with this request :
http://news.met.police.uk/news/statement-from-police-commander-for-notting-hill-carnival-2016-182480
Finally, please could you provide any other information that you may deem relevant to the nature of these requests, e.g. maps, polices, protocols and so forth
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Paulina Tuffour
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
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