Nerja is told to turn off CCTV

NERJA Council has been ordered to remove CCTV cameras which were installed without proper authorization.

The cameras are at the Local Police headquarters in Avenida de Pescia and were reported by the local branch of the Andalucian Independent Union for the Local Police in March last year.

The local conservative Partido Popular have disconnected the cameras as instructed by the Spanish Data Protection Agency which noted that the cameras captured images of the street.

The town hall did not have the authorization to process personal information that could be caught on camera.

In order to turn the cameras back on, they must first prove that the CCTV installation follows data protection laws and obtain government authorization.

However, it is not known whether the town hall plans to do this or simply keep them disconnected.

Malaga city did obtain permits to install cameras in the local streets, and several towns in the province, including Marbella, Velez-Malaga and Nerja are planning to do the same. The aim of installing cameras is to prevent crime and allow police to identify culprits, but some citizens are not in favour of the idea, claiming it violates their right to intimacy.

Photo credit: *ade
By Jennifer Leighfield