A number of local authorities in Kent have decided to stop using CCTV made by a company whose technology is allegedly linked to the Uyghur genocide in China.
A number of Kent councils, including Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells, and Sevenoaks, have decided to drop the surveillance company Hikvision over concerns about its connection to the Chinese government.
In July 2021 the Foreign Affairs Committee published a report entitled, Never Again: The UK's Responsibility to Act on Atrocities in Xinjiang and Beyond, which accused the Chinese government of ‘crimes against humanity and genocide’ against the Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The report accused Hikvision, which has cameras operating throughout the UK including in leisure centres and schools, of providing surveillance equipment to the detention camps where Uyghur prisoners are held. It recommended that the Government ban Hikvision from operating in the UK.
Hikvision’s marketing director Justin Hollis challenged the report’s findings, arguing it was ‘not based on any concrete evidence’.
A spokesperson for Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council today said that the council has 157 CCTV cameras, 29 of which were provided by Hikvision. They told LocalGov they ‘expect that figure to reduce to zero over the next few years.’
A Sevenoaks Council spokesman said the council would remove Hikvision cameras from their systems as they are updated and a Medway Council spokesperson said they have ‘currently paused installing any new Hikvision cameras until we receive clarification from the government and the Office of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner (OBSCC) on this matter.’
A recent report from the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner Fraser Sampson on the prevalence of surveillance technology linked to the Chinese government concluded that UK policing was 'shot through' with this technology.
He named a number of companies, including Dahua, Hikvision, Honeywell and Huawei, and Nuuo.
Mr Sampson commented: ‘There has been a lot in the news in recent days about how concerned we should be about Chinese spy balloons 60,000 feet up in the sky. I do not understand why we are not at least as concerned about the Chinese cameras six feet above our head in the street and elsewhere.’
Cllr Nancy Warne, deputy leader Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, said that they only use Hikvision equipment in council buildings. ‘When it is time to replace the equipment the council will be looking into alternative manufacturers who can provide similar technology.’
A spokesperson for Dover District Council (DDC) said: ‘DDC complies with Home Office guidelines and all relevant legislation on the use of CCTV. The system in use across the Dover district was upgraded in 2019 following a competitive tender undertaken in 2018.
‘Whilst the system does use Hikvision cameras, the Council has no contracts with the company itself. Hikvision cameras were recommended by the contractor awarded the tender. There are no current plans to replace the cameras.’
A spokesperson for Hikvision said: 'Technical analysis of Hikvision products have never indicated they are a threat to the national security interests of United Kingdom. It is regrettable that some individuals have been willing to politicise a critical element of the country's security architecture, thus reducing public trust in the vital work that our products support.
'Hikvision does not store end users' video data, does not offer cloud storage in the UK and therefore cannot transmit data from end users to third parties. Hikvision cameras are compliant with the applicable UK laws and regulations and are subject to strict security requirements.
'Hikvision takes all reports regarding human rights very seriously and recognizes our responsibility for protecting people. As a market leader, Hikvision is committed to upholding the highest standards and respect for human rights.'
