Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Evidence & Forensics

CCTV

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/ˌsiː siː tiː ˈviː/abbreviationCommon term

In criminal law & justice, CCTV means: Closed-circuit television: a system of video cameras that record public or private places and is often used as evidence in criminal cases.

In Turkish: güvenlik kamerası, kamera kayıtları, kapalı devre kamera sistemi

How it is used

Very common in British police work: 'CCTV footage', 'CCTV images', 'caught on CCTV', 'check the CCTV'. Police 'release' CCTV images of suspects and ask the public for help. American English more often says 'security camera footage' or 'surveillance video'.

Example sentences

  1. CCTV footage shows the suspect leaving the shop at 9:42.

  2. Officers are checking CCTV from nearby streets.

  3. The whole incident was caught on CCTV.

Common collocations

  • CCTV footage
  • caught on CCTV
  • CCTV camera
  • check the CCTV
  • release CCTV images
  • evidenceInformation, objects, documents or testimony that a court can use to decide whether something is true, for example whether the defendant committed the crime.
  • alibiEvidence or a claim that a person was somewhere else when the crime happened, so they could not have committed it.
  • crime sceneThe place where a crime happened, where police and forensic experts look for evidence before anything is moved.
  • suspectA person whom the police believe may have committed a crime but who has not yet been charged or found guilty.

More terms: Evidence & Forensics

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.