Handing Over CCTV Footage Safely: Copies, Originals and Evidence

Sometimes someone needs a copy of your recorded video. It may be the police, an investigator, your legal team or an insurer. How you handle that copy decides whether it can be trusted later. This guide explains the safe way, step by step.

The golden rule: the original stays untouched

The original is the recording that SSMS keeps on your server. Never change, delete or move it. Any copy you hand over must come from the original, with no changes.

Recordings are not kept forever. When storage is full, new video usually replaces the oldest video. So act early. Ask your IT admin or Skyline how to keep that footage longer in your deployment.

Who may receive footage

Only hand footage to someone with a clear right to it. Your access policy should name one person who approves every request.

In Saudi Arabia, the Law on the Use of Security Surveillance Cameras sets rules for the facilities it covers:

• Recordings may not be transferred or published without the approval of the Ministry of Interior or the Presidency of State Security, a court order, or a request from the competent investigating authority (Article 6).
• If an incident is reported, the recording must stay unaltered until the investigation ends. It must be handed to the Ministry of Interior or the Presidency of State Security when they ask (Article 4).

Source: the law as published in the Umm Al-Qura gazette. This is orientation, not legal advice. Outside Saudi Arabia, follow your local law. A short summary is on the SSMS Saudi Arabia page.

How to make the copy

1. Get written approval for the request. Record it in the footage access register.
2. Confirm the site, camera, date and exact time range with the requester.
3. Make the copy with the method your Skyline engineer showed you at handover. If you are not sure how, contact Skyline support before the footage is overwritten.
4. Play the copy back once. Check that it opens and shows the right camera and time.
5. Ask IT to record a checksum of the copy. A checksum is a digital fingerprint. Anyone can check it later to prove the copy has not changed.
6. Label the copy and the storage media (see the table below).
7. Hand it over and get a signed receipt.

What never to do

• Never film the screen with a phone. The picture loses quality, and the camera name and time may not be readable.
• Never edit the copy. Do not trim, convert, blur or add anything yourself. If someone needs a blurred version, they make it from your copy and keep your copy as it is.
• Never send footage through personal email, social media or messaging groups.
• Never keep a private copy "just in case".

How to label a copy

A clear label lets anyone see what the copy is and where it came from.

Storing and moving the copy

Use storage media that your IT team approves, such as an encrypted USB drive. Encrypted means the data is locked with a password or key. You can also use a secure transfer method that IT agrees. Keep physical media locked away until it is handed over.

The handover receipt

A receipt proves who took the footage and when. It should show:

• What was handed over: the reference number and label.
• Who handed it over.
• Who received it, and for which organisation.
• The date and time.
• The signatures of both people.

Copy the receipt details into the footage access register. Keep the paper receipt in a locked file.

Where to go next

• Incident response: preserving footage and chain of custody
• Keeping a footage access register
• A simple CCTV access policy
• Storage and retention: how long video is kept

Quick checklist

• The request is approved and written in the register.
• The original recording is untouched and protected from being overwritten.
• The copy was made with the method shown at handover, and played back once.
• The copy is labelled, and IT has recorded its checksum.
• Every handover has a signed receipt.
• No phone filming, no editing, no sharing in messaging groups.