National Records of Scotland

Preserving the past, Recording the present, Informing the future

CCTV in NRS

CCTV in NRS

CCTV (closed circuit television) is in use at all of our Edinburgh buildings. The cameras, and the images that are recorded through them, are there to prevent crime and ensure public safety by providing security for our buildings, our records, our staff and our customers.

The images which are collected through our cameras are of the main public areas in each of the buildings. Signs have been placed in areas where CCTV is in operation to alert you to its presence and inform you of its purpose.

The Scottish Government Security operates CCTV for NRS at our Edinburgh buildings. Recorded images are retained by the Scottish Government for a maximum of 42 days after which, provided they are not required for evidential purposes, the images are deleted. The operation of CCTV complies with the Information Commissioner’s Office CCTV Code of Practice.

Disclosure of images

As we collect the images only for the purposes of crime prevention and public safety, we will only disclose recorded images to the following people:

  • Senior members of staff, for the purpose of building, record or staff security 
  • Law enforcement agencies, for assisting with criminal enquiries 
  • Prosecution agencies 
  • Relevant legal representatives 
  • The media, where it has been decided that public assistance is needed 
  • People whose images have been recorded 

If images are disclosed to the media for any purpose, other than those outlined above, the images of individuals will be disguised so as to prevent identification.

Subject Access Requests

Individuals who have been recorded on our CCTV have the right to request access to their images. Requests for access should be made by completing and submitting our subject access request form which you can find on our Requesting Information page.