Marks and Spencer Plc achieves certification against code of practice for another five years.
Marks and Spencer Plc was the first retailer to be awarded with the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s third party certification mark over 5 years ago, and has now recently been re-certified for another 5 years.
Third party certification
Third party certification, set up in 2016 by the previous Surveillance Camera Commissioner, enables any organisation within the public or private sector to demonstrate that they are using their surveillance camera system in line with the 12 guiding principles in the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice.
An organisation will decide if they would like either step 1 (desktop) or step 2 (full) certification.
Desktop certification lasts for one year, with the assumption that the organisation will apply for full certification at the end of it.
Full certification lasts for 5 years, after successful completion of an on-site audit with one of our three UKAS accredited certification bodies and includes an annual review each year to ensure continued compliance.
Why their re-certification matters to us
Our office was delighted that Marks and Spencer had achieved certification, as they were the first retailer to do so. Consequently, we are extremely happy that they have now taken the decision to go through the process for the second time.
This shows their commitment to using their CCTV system in best practice in line with the principles of the code, which in turn allows them to demonstrate to their giant customer base that they are using CCTV in an effective, proportionate and transparent way.
In addition to this, the fact that they have decided to re-certify for the next 5 years clearly shows that the organisation believes certification is worthwhile and has benefitted them. This is extremely encouraging, and we hope it will lead the way for other retailers and other organisations from every sector to do the same.
What the Commissioner has to say
The Commissioner, Professor Frasor Sampson, said:
I was over the moon to hear that Marks and Spencer had decided to take the decision to re-certify with the third party certification scheme. As a trusted retailer that has become, not just a high street name within the UK, but almost a part of the family this is a great way for a commercial company to show that they value the standards in the code.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their leadership in responsible surveillance at a time when the public’s trust and confidence in the principles set out in the code has never been more important - and also congratulate them on their hard work to get this achievement.
What Marks and Spencer has to say
Stephen Halpin, Operational Security Manager said:
Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Certification that our CCTV operation is compliant to the 12 guiding principles of the CCTV Code of Practice supports us to maintain high CCTV standards for our customers safety and security. Re certification to the code and independent yearly auditing of our CCTV operation helps us to continue to do so.
Embracing the code means certification is achievable to all organisations of any size and will support them to maintain efficient and transparent CCTV standards for the benefit of their customers, especially retailers. Achieving certification was also a key consideration of our approach to CCTV in the delivery of our industry award winning CCTV Security Operations Centre, and we highly recommended certification to all organisations.
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