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Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Rule

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Section 1 - Overview

(1) The University of New England (UNE) is committed to the safety and security of its Students, UNE Representatives, visitors and Assets. The installation of CCTV on UNE property and approved for use in accordance with this policy, supports this commitment.

(2) The use of CCTV and any recorded footage is subject to a number of requirements including legislation, standards and policies. This Rule is intended to ensure UNE's compliance with the requirements.

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Section 2 - Scope

(3) This Policy applies to all Students, UNE Representatives and UNE property.

(4) This Policy does NOT apply to (except when used in conjunction with surveillance software):

  1. CCTV used for the purposes of pipe and drainage inspections; or
  2. Monitoring and recording that may be for general use by UNE such as -
    1. Cameras used in conjunction with mobile and computing devices
    2. Videoconferencing
    3. Recordings of lectures
    4. Research experiments
    5. Public events (eg. UNE graduation ceremonies, theatrical and musical performances and sporting events).
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Section 3 - Rule

Approval

(5) The Chief Operating Officer must approve all CCTV installations on UNE property, including those installed prior to the approval of this Rule. Approval is based upon the stated purpose of the installation and will be compliant with relevant legislation, standards and policies.

(6) All CCTV equipment and software procurement must be approved by Estate and Built Environment and the Technology and Digital Services.

Purpose

(7) CCTV must be

  1. Used for lawful purposes;
  2. Reasonably necessary for those purposes; and
  3. Directly related to UNE's functions or activities.

Installation

(8) All CCTV systems must be:

  1. Installed in accordance with relevant legislation, standards and policies by qualified and licenced installers and cablers; and
  2. Connected to the UNE network (except where written approval is granted by the Chief Operating Officer);
  3. CCTV cameras must not be hidden; and
  4. CCTV controllers and recorders must be located in a secure area.

Signage

(9) Signs informing the public, students, UNE Representatives and visitors of the existence and purpose of CCTV cameras must be erected as close to each of the CCTV cameras as is practicable to provide maximum awareness of the existence of the cameras and their purpose.

(10) The signs must be located within normal eye range, be clearly visible, distinctive, and located in a position that is well lit.

(11) Signage accompanying the CCTV cameras must include (but not be limited to):

  1. Information that explains the scope of the area being covered by CCTV;
  2. Information about whether the system is being monitored and/or recorded, and whether the camera is active for 24 hours per day; and
  3. A clearly displayed, well-articulated message (with symbols where possible) that is easily understood by people from multicultural backgrounds.

Management

(12) All CCTV systems will be managed in accordance with relevant legislation, standards, policies and associated documents.

Recorded information management

(13) CCTV recorded information must be:

  1. Accurate and sufficient for the purpose. In order for the recorded information to be of evidence quality, the recording device must (at a minimum) allow for:
    1. Clarity of image;
    2. Placement that ensures adequate lighting;
    3. Positioning of appropriate camera angle;
    4. Image verification; and
    5. Image authentication.
  2. Used only for the purpose for which it was approved to be collected;
  3. Stored securely;
  4. Accessed by trained and qualified personnel;
  5. Restricted to access by user ID and password authentication (ie. the use of generic user IDs, passwords or sharing of user IDs and passwords is not permitted);
  6. Clearly auditable for identification of individuals accessing the recorded information;
  7. Retained in accordance with Australian Standard (AS) 4806.1:2006 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) — Management and Operation, for a minimum period of 31 days, or, should the recorded material be required for investigation purposes, retained in accordance with legal requirements;
  8. Disposed of in a secure manner; and
  9. Protected from unauthorised access, use or disclosure.

Disclosure and requests to view recorded information

(14) Requests to view recorded information must be made in writing to the Chief Operating Officer, Vice-Chancellor's Unit, University of New England, NSW, 2351.

(15) Disclosure of recorded information will be subject to compliance with legislation and policies.

Incidents

(16) All incidents must be reported to UNE Safety, Security and Information, and be responded to in accordance with established procedures.

Complaints

(17) All complaints about CCTV systems on UNE property must be made in writing to Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Vice-Chancellor's Unit, University of New England, NSW, 2351.

Audit

(18) An audit of CCTV incidents will be undertaken annually to ensure all incidents are being logged and responded to in compliance with relevant legislation, standards and policies.

(19) A security audit will be undertaken annually, to ensure CCTV systems are adequately secured both physically and electronically. This audit is additional to normal periodic penetration testing of the UNE network.

Evaluation

(20) Evaluation of CCTV on UNE property will be undertaken annually to ensure the effectiveness and ongoing viability of the equipment.

Review

(21) This Policy will be reviewed annually, and will consider the findings of the regular CCTV audits to ensure ongoing quality assurance.

Authority and Compliance

(22) The Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Section 29 of the University of New England Act 1993 (NSW), makes this University Rule.

(23) UNE Representatives and Students must observe it in relation to University matters.

(24) The Rule Administrator, the Chief Operating Officer, is authorised to make policies and associated information for the operation of this University Rule. The policies and associated information must be compatible with the provisions of this Rule.

(25) This Rule operates as and from the Effective Date.

(26) Previous policy on Closed Circuit Television monitoring and related documents, are replaced and have no further operation from the Effective Date of this new Rule.

(27) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this University Rule, the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer may approve an exception to this Rule where the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer determines the application of the Rule would otherwise lead to an unfair, unreasonable or absurd outcome. Approvals by the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer under this clause must be documented in writing and must state the reason for the exception.

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Section 4 - Definitions

For the purposes of this Rule the following definitions apply.

(28) Authorised Person means a person who is appropriately trained and conversant with this policy and applicable legislation, policies and standards and who is authorised by the Chief Services Officer or their nominee.

(29) Clarity of Image means the "technical quality" of the image represented in terms of resolution, noise, grey scale depths and colour.

(30) Data means all information, including that about a person. In CCTV systems, this includes pictures, sound and any other associated, linked or processed information.

(31) Evidence Quality means the evidence provides all necessary elements that make it admissible evidence, in accordance with the requirements of a court of law; for example, acceptable and clear content, creation date, date and time stamp, proof of non-tamper, and verification methodology.

(32) Incident means an activity that raises cause for concern that an offence has been, is being, or is about to be committed or that an occurrence has taken place warranting specific action.

(33) Image Authentication means a method of providing proof that images presented as evidence have not been tampered with.

(34) Image Verification means a method of verifying images and associated data so that the origin, date and time can be used to support its credibility and acceptability in a legal process.

(35) Lawful purpose means a purpose that is not forbidden by law.

(36) Recorded Information means any data recorded on any recording medium (eg. Electronic, magnetic or optical) that contains information of events and camera views that have happened in the past.

(37) UNE network means the UNE owned and Information Technology Directorate administered communications infrastructure including, but not limited to:

  1. Optic fibre cable and patch leads;
  2. Copper cable and associated jumpering (connections);
  3. UTP cable and patch leads;
  4. Patch panels, racks and cabinets;
  5. Switches;
  6. Routers;
  7. Servers;
  8. Firewalls;
  9. Wireless access points;
  10. Microwave links.

(38) UNE Property means any property that is occupied by UNE students or UNE Representatives. It does not mean UNE owned property that is used or leased by other non-UNE parties.

(39) Visitor means any person who is not a Student or UNE Representative.