Professor William Webster, the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, has confirmed the permanent closure of the Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s third party certification (TPC) scheme. The notice was issued through letters to certified organisations and to accreditation bodies published on GOV.UK on 21 November 2025.
In correspondence to certified bodies dated 19 November 2025, the Commissioner states the scheme is closed with immediate effect and asks organisations to remove any reference to TPC certification from branding and communications.
The same letter explains that some extension certificates were drafted to expire on commencement of the Data Protection and Digital Information (DPDI) Bill. Because the 2024 general election halted the Bill, a small number of organisations were left with certificates of indefinite duration; given the time elapsed since audits, the Commissioner has therefore closed the scheme entirely.
A companion letter to accreditation bodies - sent to the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) and the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB) - records a 12‑month gap with no Surveillance Camera Commissioner in post, confirms permanent closure, notes accreditors have already shifted to BSI standards, and signals that reviving the scheme would be unwise while government reviews oversight. The letter also indicates a Home Office consultation on facial recognition and oversight is expected in the coming weeks.
The TPC scheme had already been shut to new applications since September 2023, with the GOV.UK guidance last updated on 13 March 2024 pointing readers to alternative ways of evidencing compliance. Today’s letters formalise that earlier position and retire residual certificates.
Related activity has also ended. The Commissioner’s Secure by Default manufacturer self‑certification scheme was permanently closed in June 2023, and organisations were instructed to stop displaying the associated mark.
For policing and local government, statutory duties continue unchanged. In England and Wales, relevant authorities must have regard to the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice under section 33 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, and courts may take any failure into account. The current Code clarifies that ‘having regard’ means taking the guidance into account and giving clear reasons for any departure, including where contractors deliver services on a public body’s behalf.
Operationally, the tasks now are administrative rather than legal. Authorities that referenced the Commissioner’s TPC scheme in policies, websites or tender templates should remove those references. To evidence alignment with the Code, organisations can continue to publish the Commissioner’s self‑assessment tool and maintain surveillance‑specific Data Protection Impact Assessments.
For suppliers and integrators, the Commissioner notes accreditors had already moved to BSI‑based assurance. External validation remains available through UKAS‑accredited routes operated by bodies such as NSI and SSAIB; organisations should avoid citing the now‑retired TPC scheme in marketing or bid responses.
Professor Webster began a two‑year term on 1 November 2025 after the post had been vacant since August 2024; his remit includes oversight of police applications to retain biometric material and promoting compliance with the Code. His letters point to forthcoming Home Office proposals on facial recognition oversight, which institutions should monitor.