Please read our privacy policy. It is important, and we have tried to make it simple and straight up. This Policy was last updated on 13 February 2023.
SaferCities provides an easy platform for Users to access CCTV networks efficiently and lawfully.
Owned and operated by local agencies
Enable effective and controlled sharing with Users
Can lawfully access footage and fight crime
CCTV networks are owned and operated by agencies like your local city council, local shops, supermarkets, drive-throughs and retailers.
Traditionally, when something went wrong – a theft, a ram raid, a stolen vehicle – these CCTV networks were hard for Users like the New Zealand Police to access.
SaferCities makes it easier for Users to access those networks efficiently to detect, investigate and prevent crime in your neighborhood through our platform.
You can think of this like a pipeline – we link information between two groups, for the benefit of everybody. We don’t use personal information on the platform for our own purposes, we process information on behalf of CCTV operators, and the Users of the platform.
vGRID promotes the philosophy that more effective and efficient policing occurs when the community and Users can communicate effectively. Users can request access to a CCTV camera (or camera system), and then receive live footage. Information is securely transmitted between the two parties through the vGRID SaferCity Platform. Users can see what is happening in real time but are unable to record the footage at their end.
vGRID ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) receives number plate records created by CCTV operators’ systems and compares it against stolen and other warranted ‘Plates of Interest’ lists. Where a match occurs, Users are alerted. Personal information is limited – Users receive from the camera the vehicle number plate, date and time and location of the image capture, and a still image of the capture from the camera. This will only happen when a car is registered as stolen and when the Police use the system lawfully.
vGRID VAULT makes it easier for CCTV operators and the Users to interact. It is built to ensure Users meet their chain of evidence requirements, and with strict logging, Vault enables Users to request CCTV footage from other organisations remotely and in a timely manner.
Users send a request through the platform, which then prompts the CCTV operators to upload the desired footage or related evidence, alongside some basic information about the individual uploading the information (Name, Date of Birth, Contact Information).
SaferCities is a community focused organisation: we want safe and vibrant cities for Aotearoa New Zealand. We know that CCTV is a complex topic, and our platform improves CCTV for everyone involved because it helps ensure CCTV is fit for purpose and increases its effectiveness.
As part of our commitment to the community, we take privacy very seriously. Our platform is designed to minimise the amount of personal information involved.
Fundamentally, it is a pipeline between the CCTV operators and the Users of our platform. We have several inbuilt safeguards so that User access is recorded, and we have strict contracts in place with all parties.
We keep information safe and secure, both at our premises and within our platform.
We believe strongly in data-sovereignty and the importance of keeping things local. Our primary servers are hosted in New Zealand, and we use Amazon AWS in Australia to store Vault and ANPR footage/images. We have ensured we are following industry standard encryption and security protocols including zero-trust cloud infrastructure.
When Users access SaferCities, this requires strict permissions and Users must meet identity management standards.
Internally, we have a small team who know each other well and work closely: our access is restricted solely to our technicians, and we all abide by an internal suite of policies and processes to ensure we only access the platform for legitimate reasons, examples of which are maintaining the platform, completing troubleshooting, and facilitating the platform functions that Users access.
Because of our role as a data processor, the best party to contact about CCTV footage in general is going to be the CCTV operator. You may have the right to know if they hold information about you, get a copy of said information and correct any information if it is wrong. This will apply if there is something that identifies you.
If you have concerns with a CCTV operator, want to exercise any of your rights under the Privacy Act 2020, or want some help to exercise your rights, we will always do our best to facilitate the best outcome for everybody.
If you have any concerns, want to talk to us, or want help with your privacy rights, please contact us at privacy@safercities.com.
