People who have security cameras at their stores, companies or homes must now register them with the Belgium Home Affairs Department and the police will be able to use their images to find perpetrators of crimes, according to reports in Het Laatste Nieuws and De Morgen, confirmed by the office of Home Affairs Minister Jan Jambon.
Before the new law on security cameras became effective, cameras had to be declared to the Commission for the Protection of Private Life. That procedure, which used to cost 25 euros, has now been replaced by a free, online registration with the Interior Department. The measure is aimed at enabling the State to have a list of all private security cameras by mid-2020.
People who had cameras before the 25th of May, when the new law entered into effect, have two years to register them. They need to indicate where the camera is located, but also the brand, model, type, image resolution of the device and the reason for installing it.
Barring a few exceptions, stores, municipalities and businesses need to declare all their cameras, while private individuals only need to register those that cover part of the public space. For each camera declared, someone has to be designated as a contact person for the police. Proprietors who fail to comply with the obligation to register face fines ranging from 100 to 20,000 euros
