Banned from Government buildings and removed from Tesco shelves - but Chinese firm's CCTV cameras remain in Kettering parks

Council chiefs say they are not replacing Kettering park CCTV cameras despite security and human rights fears involving the Chinese firm which made them.

Hikvision surveillance systems have been in operation in a number of town green spaces for two years – although they still do not have the required planning permission.

They were recently banned from being installed at UK Government buildings over security concerns and are being withdrawn from Tesco shelves after allegations of the company’s involvement in China’s persecution of Uyghur Muslims.

But North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) say they are not considering swapping them for another make and that security measures are in place to protect access to camera feeds.

A council spokesman said: “The council keeps up to date with CCTV products and we work closely with our suppliers and contractors to ensure our networks are operating effectively and using optimum security. We also belong to several council networks that monitor this collectively.

“The security measures in place to protect access to the cameras and therefore the privacy of our residents is very robust, greatly reducing the risk of possible hacking regardless as to the make of camera. We have not received any direct advice from Government around its ban on the use of Chinese manufactured CCTV cameras in or on government buildings.

“At this stage, the authority has not considered replacing any of its existing Chinese manufactured cameras or network equipment. Should further information come from Government, the council will consider the implications for our existing networks and future installations.”

Surveillance began in the spring of 2021 as part of a £150,000 project to make the town safer after funding was secured by the county’s crime commissioner.

Last year NNC faced a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office, alleging that the systems didn’t comply with the law because they lacked required signs. Then it was revealed that the cameras were put up without the required planning permission after council officers from the now-defunct Kettering Borough Council mistakenly believed they didn’t need them.

Retrospective planning bids for 24-hour cameras in areas including Mill Road Park, North Park and the Rockingham Road Pleasure Park are due to be decided next month.

But retired journalist Peter Anderson, who lives on the Brambleside estate and discovered that the cameras were made by Hikvision, says he is concerned that the plans do not mention the name of the controversial firm.

He said: “The planning application doesn’t even give the name of the camera company or any technical details of the cameras, which is something the public has a right to know.

"Councillors on the planning committee need to understand what they are being asked to approve. They need to be aware of the huge controversy surrounding Hikvision, which has been banned by the US and UK governments and whose cameras are now being removed from Tesco.

“If councillors want to approve them for use in Kettering parks that’s up to them but they need to take decisions with all the information made available to them. I fail to understand why this planning application conceals that information.”

The spokesman for NNC said that the make or manufacturer of CCTV equipment is not material to an application and doesn’t need to be mentioned in a report.

UK Government cabinet minister Oliver Dowden MP announced that Hikvision cameras would be banned from ‘sensitive’ sites in November, citing security concerns.

Campaign group Big Brother Watch has alleged that Hikvision ‘provide CCTV technology that guards concentration camps in Xinjiang, China, and provide the backbone for the Government-backed mass surveillance and persecution of broadly Muslim minorities’.

Hikvision has denied suggestions it poses a threat to UK security and has said that it respects human rights.

Rutland MP Alicia Kearns, chairman of the Government’s foreign affairs select committee, has previously called for Hikvision to be eradicated from local authorities.

Three councils in Kent have dropped the use of Hikvision systems, it has been reported.

Cllr Dez Dell (Green) represents Kettering’s Clover Hill ward, where many of the town’s Hikvision cameras are placed.

The former telecoms engineer said: “We shouldn’t buy any more of these cameras because they are linked to human rights abuses with the Uyghurs.

"I would not like to speculate on the costs of replacing the ones we have but as long as the network of the CCTV system is not able to be hacked then I do not see any problems with the existing cameras.”

Cllr Anne Lee (Lab, Windmill) hit out at NNC for not getting planning permission before installing the cameras.

She said: “Councillors tend to take a dim view of retrospective planning applications, since they are usually submitted by residents who fail to study legal requirements before starting work.

“To find that NNC is now routinely applying for retrospective planning permission for CCTV cameras sets a bad example. It goes against the values of a customer-focused, trustworthy council, set out on NNC’s website.

“There has been little communication about these cameras. They simply popped up in various locations, including on a large pole behind the Alfred East Art Gallery in the Manor House Gardens.

“Kettering residents deserve a full explanation on where these cameras are controlled from and how the images are used.”

A spokesman for the office of the Northamptonshire police, fire and crime commissioner (OPFCC) said: “The police, fire and crime commissioner secured funding from the Home Office to carry out prevention improvements in Kettering through the safer streets fund, in partnership with North Northamptonshire Council.

“Although involved in the securing of the funding alongside North Northamptonshire Council, the OPFCC’s involvement in the scheme did not go past this stage as the procurement, installation and maintenance of the CCTV system was carried out by the former Kettering Borough Council and now NNC.”