monitoring by webcam

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@Vickie

I would try and rid yourself of the problem by use of email first as you suggested. There is a possibility that the perpetrator(s) may think that they are just being funny or wacky. Let staff know that this is being considered as criminal damage and will be treated as such.

I would disagree with Martin, personally, that this is a civil offence - surely ripping apart wrist rests as you stated constitutes criminal damage?

We have cameras with audio recording in our vehicles. It records the road ahead and the voices in the vehicle.
This was a requirement of the insurance cover and they have supplied "Roadhawk" devices to try to eliminate claims which are not our fault.
I have asked the insurers and they say that it is ok, but reading through the ICO guidance (thanks Nigel) it seems that we may require visible signage inside and out and make sure all drivers and agency staff we sometimes employ to drive our vehicles know the devices are there and write a policy on their usage as well as informing the ICO?

CCTV is a surprising thing to use at work. In the last twenty years, not often but a few recordings captured:
A Director level drunk, throwing himself at the glass entrance window,, urinating up the glass, threatening the night guard for failing to let him in in that state!
Urinating in a glass scenic lift.
Public sex against the loading bay compactor.
Sex on the boardroom table (laugh out loud rumour exposed securities failure to report this after gossiping about it).
A huge brown envelope of cash exchanged in a meeting room (unknown outcome - became a police matter).
Guards zooming in on a womens refuge window because the girls were purposefully exposing their breasts to be on camera (the guards dismissed).
Urinating generally in strange places, even when toilets are available; plant pots, kitchen sink, in a pedestal, over bicycles/cars/drains in car park areas, vaccuum cleaner, mop bucket in cotrridor. (Fellas, please, you dirty lads, why?)
Various cuddles and snogs between known partners, married and of course the married love cheats in the office.
Stealing cash from unlocked pedestals. Or mobile phones/personal items.
Stealing laptops, toilet rolls, coffee, washroom soap. If it aint bolted down, someone will take it eventually, whatever it is!

Ghastly business when you've got CCTV. You can learn so much about colleagues and close friends that you may fight your conscience over right and wrong or even friendship.

Hi Vicky
Use of CCTV is covered under the Data Protection Act in a work situation, recording images of anyone be it public or employees needs to be registered with the ICO. There is guidance available from the ICO.
http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection/topic_guides/cctv.aspx
Martin seemed to think it can only be used at work to identify criminal acts, this is incorrect. A business may use CCTV wherever and whenever it deems it necessary on any grounds as long as you have followed the guidance from the ICO.
You also have to make everyone who's image may be captured by the system aware that their images may be recorded.

Thanks for all your comments everybody, I'll take them to my boss for further discussion. I think possibly sending out a memo saying that certain incidents have occured and and if they don't stop then the company will look into monitoring the situation by cctv for data protection purposes etc and see if that puts an end to it.

CCTV cannot be used arbitrarily as it comes under the Data Protection Act 1998.

You must it is used in accordance with the act, and that employees are notified of its use. I think in this case you would find it unlawful, as you can only use it in the workplace to identify a criminal offence taking place.

This does not constitute a criminal offence but more a civil issue.

I would advice implementing a clean desk policy, and all employees ensuring they lock away any personal items. Someone should carryout an end of day security check prior to locking up the building. This would and should eliminate the problem.

I wouldn't choose to advertise monitoring a certain area. I would advise that CCTV or surveilance equipment shall be/is installed on the premises for your safety and security. Signs externally for your public visitors, but reminder signage internally for your staff, no. Moot points that it is for data protection much like door/cabinet locks and rules about unattended laptops and such like. Unless you want to be direct and state the surveillance is to target who is causing problems for these two or so victims.

You could tidy up the staples and stamp problems and such like by using data protection as a reson for enforcing office procedures, or to create departmental or organisation wide data protection policy, strategic risks of rogue agents/good and bad leavers in the workplace. Your clients personal records, your organisations records should be under lock and key for data protection. Why not do a training seminar to all staff or an advisory sheet (quarterly cycle by way of reminder - it's just a thought) of which you must follow up wth quality checks and punishment for failure to comply (gently) - In the training make it a point where the problems lie: pedestals / cabinets / computers / documents / company stamps and/or stationary items should be locked securely at close of business or when left unattended. Managers are responsible for policing their department and encouraging participation with immediate effect.

If people put stuff away and locked their cabinets, half your worries would be over, cleaning could improve with less clutter.

Can the equipment not simply be locked away at night. May be a pain to start off with but will soon become routine.

Hello Vickie, I would say that you would have to at least put up signage to notify people that there is CCTV in the area. We have had to do that in our workplace.

Hello

Are the cleaners bringing their children in to work with them.


Barry L

A situation has arisen where it appears someone, out of hours, has been messing about with property on other peoples desks / in drawers. Rubber stamping random bits of paper on a desk (the stamp needs to follow its number sequence for accoutns purposes), emptying boxes of staples into a drawer, removing batteries from wireless mice, peeling off the gel part of wrist rests, that sort of thing. The idea of setting up a webcam in that area (as it does just seem to be directed at one or 2 individuals desks) has been mooted about and so we were wondering whether we needed to inform staff that this area was being monitored following certain incidents, or whether we could just leave the webcam on to record for the time when no-one was officially in the office?