I believe it's well within the law in the UK to film in a public place - such as on the road - without any forewarning that you are doing so. There are others more qualified than me on the subject I'm sure - and there are a few posts about it, including the one about filming in a dealers workshop recently.

Other countries may be different.

If I was reporting every minor infraction I saw, I'd never get to do anything else, I do report some, and I'm sure that I fall foul on occasion. But the law is the law, it's there to try to keep everyone safe - whether we agree with it all or not.

I'd rather give the person a chance to rectify their behaviour - but that's not always possible or indeed safe. In which case I'd rather let the authorities try, and based on the levels of evidence and severity prioritise doing so. One litter drop, or dangerous overtake, or tailgating may not be enough, but if they receive multiple reports about the same vehicle the I hope they would.

Similar happened recently in slightly different circumstances with a builder who placed his equipment inc cement mixer on the footpath without warnings or permissions - because he was too lazy to move the raw materials, and causing all pedestrians to reroute. He had a driveway and a garden he could use a matter of metres away. I spoke with him, he was discourteous and I passed on to the council to deal with.

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Not being funny here as I'm as guilty as the rest here ( I have a dash cam) but filming and recording other people/motorists - how does the law effect it?

As in if you have a static CCTV system on your property domestic or commercial you are bound by law to display a sign saying "CCTV in operation" for the purposes of "???" and the responsible person or operator of this system is "???" All recordings must be managed etc too.

Now if that applies to CCTV systems on buildings which also must have privacy /exclusion zones on them if they can view other people in their respective buildings.

Who are we to go around filming people how does the law effect us never mind posting our footage on open forums or the www?

Any pointers on this?

There's no law to state you must have any signs etc. RIPA only governs the state and agency's if the state ie police and local authorities and even then for pre planned surveillance of subjects. As a private individual you can record what you like, when you like as long as it's in the public domain ie not people inside their own homes etc.

Received a response today from Durham Council...

 

Hi

Thanks for that footage, have just PNC checked the vehicle it comes back to a car dealership in Newcastle.

I will send them a formal warning that stops on our file for 2 years as for finding the driver at the time then that may prove a little harder.

If they provide driver details then he will be fined.

Thanks again, hope this is ok.

Regards

Liam.

Received a response today from Durham Council...

Hi

Thanks for that footage, have just PNC checked the vehicle it comes back to a car dealership in Newcastle.

I will send them a formal warning that stops on our file for 2 years as for finding the driver at the time then that may prove a little harder.

If they provide driver details then he will be fined.

Thanks again, hope this is ok.

Regards

Liam.

So, it could be a courtesy car with a customer driving, or an employee then?

Result

Lets hope your driving is always perfect and totally legally carried out,

because often it is a case of, 'let him who is without sin cast the first stone. or just 'sauce for the goose'.

 

I am always driving and wondering who is filming and what they are seeing me doing wrong,

unsafe overtakes or the likes in their opinion.

 

There are so many Road Captains about, and now Road Captains with cameras.

Exactly this. What should OP do? Try getting out more

You my friend are a plank.

 

When I see you lobbing your rubbish out of the window I will take great pleasure in shopping you too.

Slightly off topic, but what dash cam do you have? I want one but not sure whats best. I come across people regularly that i wish i could record.

I use the Mobius, a great dash cam.

 

This is the thread I used when doing my research with links to suppliers etc...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/319178-abeo-dash-cam/?hl=%20dash%20%20cam

 

Great for catching people who think it is acceptable to drop their unwanted rubbish out of their car, and as demonstrated by a few posts on this forum are now worried their antisocial behavior is being recorded. 

Thank you. I will have a look.

I come across many people id like to record. For example last week was actually someone in a Skoda who thought it was acceptable to try and "drift" round a busy roundabout at silly speed and then drive at what id say was between 80-90mph in a 40mph zone. Things like that really wind me up.

People seem to throw a lot of litter out their cars too ive noticed,so i wouldnt mind catching that :-)

Hours of entertainment here!

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/338907-the-briskoda-drive-recorder-video-footage-thread-part-2/

 

Only "Road Captains" need apply 

You my friend are a plank.

When I see you lobbing your rubbish out of the window I will take great pleasure in shopping you too.

Mine goes in the bag in the passenger footwell thanks.

Gets on my tits because I live next to a set of curtain twitching, complaining, nimbly, holier than thou's, who's main hobby and only pleasure is finding things to write letters to the council about.

Seriously, get a life and live and let live.

Edited 21 May, 201511 yr by StevesTruck

Ive just looked at a couple. Oh dear. I need to get one for definite

There are only two reasons why someone would attempt to dissuade someone from reporting a case of dropping litter...

 

1) They do it themselves.

2) They condone others for doing it.

 

Both of the above "get on my tits" too.

 

I will take your advice and live and let live, but I'd prefer to do it without having to wade through all the ***** you've dropped on the floor.

Edited 21 May, 201511 yr by silver1011

Nope, I just don't like the attitude of people who think their arse doesn't smell who take pleasure in telling tales on people who don't do things in the way that they think is right.

Way I see it, I'm not perfect, I'm the first to admit it, but I don't need to around making mountains out of other people's imperfections to find my pleasures.

Now, now children, play nice

 

Nope, I just don't like the attitude of people who think their arse doesn't smell who take pleasure in telling tales on people who don't do things in the way that they think is right.

 

So you think dropping litter is right then!?

 

I shopped him because he did something I didn't think was right. You think I shouldn't have reported him so you must think he has done nothing wrong?

 

I'm really struggling to understand your beef, you are attempting to defend the indefensible.

 

If your curtain-twitching neighbours bother you so much why don't you have a word, I think it might be getting to you more than you realise.

 

When the same low-life who thinks it is OK to chuck his drinks can in your hedge takes it one step further and helps himself to the contents of your shed let's hope Mr and Mrs neighbourhood watch over the road take your advice and keep quiet.

Edited 21 May, 201511 yr by silver1011

Keep it civil please.  Staff are watching!

 

Oh, and if you dislike something being posted, please REPORT, or IGNORE, and move on with your life.

 

 

 

 

So you think dropping litter is right then!?

 

I shopped him because he did something I didn't think was right. You think I shouldn't have reported him so you must think he has done nothing wrong?

 

I'm really struggling to understand your beef, you are attempting to defend the indefensible.

 

If your curtain-twitching neighbours bother you so much why don't you have a word, I think it might be getting to you more than you realise.

 

When the same low-life who thinks it is OK to chuck his drinks can in your hedge takes it one step further and helps himself to the contents of your shed let's hope Mr and Mrs neighbourhood watch over the road take your advice and keep quiet.

 

 

So let me start this with the statement that dropping litter is wrong, and if you're walking in the street and the person in front drops their fast food wrapper, please feel free to educate them in the error of their ways (keeping your own safety in mind).

 

However, we all know that the council will do nothing about this, so why bother and why get upset about it. If you see somebody fly tipping a sofa, sure take a picture and send to the council. However, in this case, feel the moral high ground that you are a better person than he/she and move on

Nope, I just don't like the attitude of people who think their arse doesn't smell who take pleasure in telling tales on people who don't do things in the way that they think is right.

Way I see it, I'm not perfect, I'm the first to admit it, but I don't need to around making mountains out of other people's imperfections to find my pleasures.

 

 

Much as I enjoy Silvers posts I have to say I agree with you , I dont drop litter myself , I dont condone it and if i saw someone doing it in the street I may have a word , OR may a big deal about picking it up (FWIW I often take a carrier bag out when walking the dog to pick up the rubbish thats thrown out of cars on my road) but reporting it and getting so het up about it , really ?

 

Thats the problem with many dash cam users , they feel self appointed warriors for the cause to identify and publish the shortcomings of others whilst rarely looking that close to home

Thats the problem with many dash cam users , they feel self appointed warriors for the cause to identify and publish the shortcomings of others whilst rarely looking that close to home

With the Police being systematically replaced with speed cameras (while being forcefed the propaganda that speeding is the only and/or most dangerous thing that goes on on the road) there needs to be some way to get bad drivers and unroadworthy cars dealt with. That involves me, you and our dashcams.

With the Police being systematically replaced with speed cameras (while being forcefed the propaganda that speeding is the only and/or most dangerous thing that goes on on the road) there needs to be some way to get bad drivers and unroadworthy cars dealt with. That involves me, you and our dashcams.

No it doesn't , it's still the Police that need to police the roads not some self appointed ***** with his dashcam , I don't believe in vigilante justice, and thankfully neither do the Police

There are obviously strong polarised views on this topic and without trying to add to them either or way or stir up a hornet's nest just a few of my thoughts for what they are worth.

 

When I joined the forum I was quite taken aback by the amount of threads running with evidence via dash cam of all sorts of wrong doing.  Some of them I have to say are just really minor cases of bad driving that are neither dangerous nor actionable.  On this occasion the OP decided he has seen something that he thought warranted some sort of action and has done what he thought was best and that was his choice whether the rest of us agree or not.

 

Plenty of mention of leaving this sort of thing to the Police and mention of their dwindling numbers.  Well that is only going to worsen as the budgets of all Police Forces are cut again year on year.  Without wanting to get too political the new Home Secretary warned the Police Federation about crying wolf over the budget cuts the other day.  I have been left the Police for over 15 years and the job has changed beyond all recognition in that time.  During my service we often commented on it in the future changing to be liek the Fire Service where we only responded to Emergency calls.  I don't know for a fact but would suggest that in many areas it has reached that point.

 

Back in the 70's and 80's I was in a smallish town in Lincolnshire and we would have a Sergeant and eight Constables per shift including nights to cover the town and outlying rural areas.  That would be backed up by village Officers and Traffic.  I suspect if you were to submit a Freedom of Information request now you would find that number down to at times one or maybe two officers at most.

 

So with that in mind with increased paperwork for every task undertaken from the most routine to the urgent don't expect to find them officers to be out on the streets very much either.  Does that mean that we should be reporting many of these wrongdoings we see?  Well if we report them at least we give the Authorities be it the Police of in this case the Council an opportunity to do something but don't be surprised if nothing is done because of priorities.

 

As an example I returned to Uniform duties after 12 years in plain clothes.  On my first day out in Uniform along with another officer I saw a lad riding his pushbike on the footpath towards the Police Station. I wound down the window to tell the lad to get off the pavement with his bike only to be told by the other officer that 'we' didn't bother with that sort of thing anymore!  I explained to him that as far as I was aware the law still existed and letting someone break it in front of our eyes was a thin end of the wedge.

 

Just another thought before I go.  Just think on that if you report someone for whatever and action is taken that you may be required to appear as a witness in a Court.  So how many of folk on here would be happy to do that and have their details released to the offender as they are entitled for their defence?

 

The idealist in me says yes any offence if seen should be dealt with by the relevant authorities but the realist in me knows that is not possible and many of you are unwittingly placing yourself in a position where you could be identified to the offender with who knows what as a consequence.

 

Oh and if any are interested in the Policing of today a book called 'Wasting Police Time' is well worth a read.  It was written by a serving officer who has since moved to Canada where he serves in their Police.  Well worth a read but be warned it isn't pretty. 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wasting-Police-Time-Crazy-World-ebook/dp/B004EHZXFM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432296636&sr=1-1&keywords=wasting+police+time

So let me start this with the statement that dropping litter is wrong, and if you're walking in the street and the person in front drops their fast food wrapper, please feel free to educate them in the error of their ways (keeping your own safety in mind).

 

However, we all know that the council will do nothing about this, so why bother and why get upset about it. If you see somebody fly tipping a sofa, sure take a picture and send to the council. However, in this case, feel the moral high ground that you are a better person than he/she and move on

 

A few points from me, keeping it civil.

 

You would speak to someone in the street if you saw them dropping litter (citing personal safety as a concern), yet you have an issue with me reporting someone for dropping litter after the event has happened. Had I had the ability to speak with the driver face-to-face that is what I would have done, but I'd have still ended up reporting them as I'd have no doubt got a mouthful of verbal for taking the time to 'educate' them.

 

I didn't get upset about it, please re-read the thread title. You'll also see that the council have done something about it, see page 1. If your attitude is that the council won't bother so don't report it then guess what, they aren't going to be able to do anything about it.

 

What is the difference between dropping a sofa in a lay-by and flicking a crisp packet out of the window?

 

Finally I have moved on, at about 40mph as it happens if you view the footage.

Much as I enjoy Silvers posts I have to say I agree with you , I dont drop litter myself , I dont condone it and if i saw someone doing it in the street I may have a word , OR may a big deal about picking it up (FWIW I often take a carrier bag out when walking the dog to pick up the rubbish thats thrown out of cars on my road) but reporting it and getting so het up about it , really ?

 

Thats the problem with many dash cam users , they feel self appointed warriors for the cause to identify and publish the shortcomings of others whilst rarely looking that close to home

 

Just to say the dropping of litter hasn't got me 'het up', again please take a good read through my opening post - it is as chilled and honest as they come.

 

More the double standards demonstrated by the minority on here that are quick to say they don't drop litter but in the same breath are happy to criticise those that actually bother to do something about it.

 

This suggests to me that they are either dropping litter themselves or are happy to wallow around in other peoples rubbish.

 

Neither of which I am prepared to stand around and ignore.

 

'Self appointed warrior'? In case it isn't clear already, if I am witnessed dropping litter, running a red light, doing 40mph past a school etc. by a fellow road user on his Go-Pro or dash cam and a few weeks later I get a letter through the post from the Council or Police inviting me to explain my actions then I'll hold my hands-up, apologise and take the punishment I deserve.