All you should know about videosurveillance in communities of owners | Part 1 |

The problem arises at the time of convincing the rest of your neighbours within your own community. How to know if video surveillance has much acceptance among other fellow owners who may have certain apprehension about security cameras and the lack of privacy?

How often cameras break down? And there is the issue of who has the authority to see the recorded images.

I will try to answer those questions and show that these unfounded fears should not prevent you from having video surveillance, which incidentally I consider to be an effective and safe method of protecting against thieves or at least to be a good deterrent against intrusions and theft.

 

A professional security company.

 

The most important thing is to engage a professional security company approved by the Ministry of the Interior and registered in the Register of Security Companies. In this way it is made sure they will follow literally everything that the law specifies.

What is there be aware of?

Is privacy is guaranteed?

Well only security authorized personnel can watch the recorded images by security cameras. After one month or so all images are erased, except those which are required by the police or judicial authorities to clarify a particular crime. In addition, the orientation of the cameras must not invade any intimate and private spaces of owners, and should be located only in public areas.

Everyone will know that there is video surveillance and it is recording from the information signs which need to be installed in visible places.

It is a very effective deterrent: because thieves will think twice before attacking a house with security cameras. And if they do, they may be recognized in the recording, as long as it has a high definition quality.

This last fact is important. I recall in my own community the time we tried to identify a “witty” guy who has used the communal stairs to urinate during a Murcia Festival. When the company came to identify the person in question the camera did not have sufficient definition as to clearly identify this person. So the whole thing was a waste of time and money. We have since; change the cameras to high definition quality.

Now days there is a remote maintenance technique to fix the cameras in case they breakdown without having even to remove them away. If it breaks down the recording circuit jumps a warning in real time and the problem can be solved quickly.

 

The following info has been obtained from the Spanish Data Protection Agency. (AEPD).

For the installation of cameras in common areas there has to be an agreement in an Owners General Meeting. The minutes of the meeting should reflect this point clearly beforehand.

It is recommended that the agreement reflect some of the characteristics of the video surveillance system, as the number of cameras or space taken up by them.

 

Image Recording File.

Whenever images of people are to be recorded, it is necessary to proceed to register the file in the General Data Protection Register of the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD).

The AEPD offers on its website a model for the registration of video surveillance files.

 

Duty to inform.

There must be in the entrances and in various strategic places, signs to inform that the area is been video monitored. The signs must indicate clearly the identity of the installation and to whom and where to go to exercise the rights under the rules of data protection. The AEPD has a model poster which could be used. The Information could also be available from the concierge, reception, offices and notice boards or be accessible via the Internet.

Do you think so you can convince your neighbours now?

If your intention is that the video surveillance is used to control working staff, there are additional requirements that must be met, so we recommend consulting practice surveillance record number VI.

On my next article we'll look at the procedures to follow when we require installing cameras for corporate control.