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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you hand over the CCTV footage?

199 replies

Puttingchildrenfirst · 18/03/2023 15:38

I can't work out what is the "right" thing to do.

We have CCTV on our house, it Covers our drive, back garden and some of the street outside our house (angled to show our front path and front garden but also catches some of the on street parking).

We checked the legality of it all when we installed it but have had endless problems with one of our neighbours objecting to it. They like to purposefully stand in the cameras view to give us the finger and once even came up our drive to spit on it. To be honest its a wider issue as our old owners used to allow them to use their drive for parking and we stopped that when we moved in, they never got over that.

To cut a long story short... they have had someone hit their car outside ours. They have demanded (not asked mind!) That we send them the CCTV footage of the incident. It does show what seems to be a car going too close to theirs, but doesn't show the occupant or the licence plate.

I'll be honest the CFery astounds me, I want to tell them to take a running jump if they think they're getting help from the cameras that they have complained about since the beginning.

I know we have to give someone any stored images of an individual if they complete an SAR, but I don't think that applies here. But then again I feel like I'm creating extra tension (and being an arse) if we refuse! I would give it to the police if they asked but I can't imagine they'll investigate the matter and just say insurance should handle it.

So would you hand it over (after all it is a crime to hit a car and drive off) or tell them to take a long walk off a short pier?

YANBU - don't hand over footage
YABU - you should give the footage

OP posts:
melj1213 · 19/03/2023 11:42

"Since you involved the ICO we have had to become very knowledgeable about our responsibilities with our CCTV system and therefore we will be following the letter of the law regarding the release of our CCTV footage. Therefore we will only be releasing the footage we have to the police or your insurance following an official written request as per the law ... If you had not been such a dick about our CCTV system we may have been more accommodating with letting you have an informal look but we cannot take the risk under the circumstances."

SerendipityJane · 19/03/2023 11:44

Annoyingwurringnoise · 19/03/2023 11:36

A PP has it right, tell them to get their insurance company to request the footage. I’d do it in the smug knowledge that it would turn out to be useless to them anyway.

Well that's another rabbit hole ... pinging totally unrelated sections of footage around endlessly.

"What's that , you wanted the second of March ? But we sent the second of February ? Sorry, these american dates are everywhere now ..."

That's another week gone.

But, as I commented previously, given the history here, I would be very sceptical about this situation.

SerendipityJane · 19/03/2023 11:45

Third of February that should read

fugly1 · 24/04/2023 10:53

Absolutely not, tell them to fuck off!!!!

StormInaDcup99 · 24/04/2023 11:06

I'd help them but only for end game of better neighbourly relations and make them aware you've done them a favour and that you'd appreciate if they could refrain from being total walkers going forward (I'd use different wording than this when talking to them lol)

WickedSerious · 24/04/2023 11:27

They'd have to prise it out of my cold,dead hands.

whumpthereitis · 24/04/2023 11:30

it would be a ‘no’ from me. I’d have zero interest in ‘better neighbourly relations’.

KittyAlfred · 24/04/2023 11:58

DiscoBoots · 18/03/2023 15:56

I'd probably give it to them but after pointing out that they have been complete arses about the cameras, and you will share the footage on the condition that this arseholeness stops immediately and doesn't recommence. I'd be tempted to ask them for an apology too, as a condition of handing it over, but probably wouldn't be brave enough to actually ask for this in reality.

If you refuse it could stoke the fire even more, whereas it won't cost you anything to hand it over and will establish you as the bigger person.

If say I hoped that by giving them what they want you can both draw a line under past unpleasantness and hopefully have a more neighbourly relationship in the future, and then try and uphold my end by waving etc, though probably tersley to start with until I see if they warm up

Two wrongs don't make a right etc, and always nicer to have surface cordiality if possible

This

Daffodil92 · 24/04/2023 12:03

I would be absolutely gleeful in telling them to get lost. It would fill me with pure joy.
Perfect example of karma. Don’t care how petty I am. 😁

girlfriend44 · 24/04/2023 12:05

you have to give it to the police if they request it?

2bazookas · 24/04/2023 12:06

Of course I'd hand them a copy of the footage ON CONDITION they retract all their rudeness about my CCTV and promise in writing to never complain again.
Then I'd enjoy years of knowing they'd had to squirm in their own bile.

Embrace the schadenfreude, you know you want to.

Muffincupcakeheeler · 24/04/2023 12:13

I wouldn't hand it over, we had someone who caused us loads of problems including would purposely park to block our camera which covered our door and our allocated parking space which the cf parked in even though they lived 15 houses down but one day a few weeks ago we had a note put through our door asking if we could check the cctv to see if it had caught someone who crashed into their car which had left a bit of damage, I was petty and decided not to check the cctv because he wouldn't be getting it anyway for pissing me off.

We haven't seen his car since

Maverickess · 24/04/2023 12:15

No way.
But then I'm fed up with everyone else's bullshit and some people's expectations that they get to behave how they want, give no quarter, never compromise or co-operate and yet fully expect help, cooperation and compromise from others when they want/need it and kick off and be all the victim when they're on the recieving end of the same behaviour the exhibit.
If the police come knocking then that's different, but help someone out that's been an arse to me? Nope.

Cerealkillerontheloose · 24/04/2023 12:19

from memory its ok to take images of the road or of other peoples property but its how you store the data as it must comply with GDPR....

Handing it over might get you in hot water legally, purely because you wouldnt be storing it correctly but handing it over? does that make sense?

Jellybebe · 24/04/2023 12:19

I would say I am more than happy to hand it over if they apologise for the swearing and spitting.

Cerealkillerontheloose · 24/04/2023 12:20

Quveas · 18/03/2023 15:43

"I am very sorry but it's a breach of GDPR to provide CCTV footage without a warrant so please come back when you have one".

i think this is actually true! this is what my previous post was trying to say. You cant hand it over as it wont comply with GDPR

Norma27 · 24/04/2023 12:24

I probably wouldn’t give it to them. Totally different, but similar if you know what I mean, a few years ago the police knocked our door early hours of the morning as masked men were seen breaking into my husbands van and police called. We knew which neighbours had the cctv coverage, and called the police as they knocked our door next day and asked not to be involved as they were too scared. We accepted that and left it.

CaroleSinger · 24/04/2023 12:29

girlfriend44 · 24/04/2023 12:05

you have to give it to the police if they request it?

No you don't. I work in public surveillance. The police have to go through the correct procedures too. They can't just ask you to give it to them.

CaroleSinger · 24/04/2023 12:31

The amount of misinformation on the thread is actually quite scary.

pussycatinfluffyslippers · 24/04/2023 12:32

@Puttingchildrenfirst Hi, your thread has been revisited...
Have the CFNs been back? Did you tell them it had already been deleted? Did you send them just the "Gag Reel" of them being rude and abusive to you "accidentally"?
Basically - how's things?

Redebs · 24/04/2023 12:33

You shouldn't be keeping recordings anyway.

The only purpose of recording is to protect your property and once you've viewed it, it should be deleted unless a crime has been committed and you need to show police.

If you do give footage to your neighbours, you will be breaking the law and your neighbours might report you!

cantelouper · 24/04/2023 12:39

Maybe invite them in and show them the clips of them being rude, talk to them about it being unacceptable. Then the incident where they cannot see evidence of the damage.

caringcarer · 24/04/2023 12:39

callthataspade · 18/03/2023 15:41

I would be petty and send them the footage of them giving the camera the finger.

Nah. They can get to fuck if you're going to help them.

Brilliant 😊

sweetgingercat · 24/04/2023 12:40

Be the bigger person and just give it to them. Say nothing. Watch the relationship improve. There's no point in making it worse (and it could get much, much worse).

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 24/04/2023 12:41

Just ask them bluntly if this means they will stop making obscene gestures in future.