The best way to monitor and capture illegal activity e.g. shoplifting, is by using surveillance cameras, but what is the use of covert spy cameras if you have no monitors to see the view transmitted?
Monitors are very important when it comes to capturing video from CCTV cameras. CCTV monitors vary in size and shape, and some have different resolutions or may come in colour or black and white. Some also have audio options. In order to get a good security camera system you need to look at the specifications of both security cameras and monitors.
For basic surveillance needs you may get away with a TV or a computer screen. However for a professional surveillance camera view you should consider a special security camera monitor. You might decide to use your own TV for capturing the camera view, however this is only a good idea if you are not looking for a high quality image.
CCTV cameras use a particular number of horizontal lines to represent the image. Black and white cameras have about 380 horizontal lines, whereas coloured cameras have about 330 horizontal lines. Resolutions of up to 580 lines can be achieved with top-end digital CCTV cameras – a definition which even the most expensive television will struggle to display correctly.
CCTV camera monitors offer much better resolution compared to regular TVs, with some monitors able to handle up to 900 or 1000 horizontal TV lines. If your requirements are for a lower specification then a 330-line CCTV camera together with a 400 TV line monitor would be ample. On the other hand, if quality is crucial for your surveillance needs then go for a CCTV monitor that can handle 900 TV lines.
In addition, there are other considerations that you will need to take into account when deciding on your CCTV monitor:
Colour vs Black and White
Built-In Audio Technology
Multiple Camera Viewing
Whatever your requirements are, you can be sure that you will be able to find a security camera monitor to meet them.
CCTV systems were first developed in the UK in 1970s. They used to be extremely expensive, cumbersome and had to be professionally installed due to a complicated electronic setup. Systems today are much more reasonably priced, easier to configure, and small CCTV systems can be installed by the end user.
A basic CCTV system includes a camera, monitor and recording device. Before settling on the specific components for your site, however, there are several decisions you will need to make.
Firstly, you’ll need to decide if you want a colour or black & white system. It is important to remember that only colour CCTV footage can be used in a court of law to positively identify a person. If black & white footage is installed, it will not give you evidence quality CCTV protection.
Your second consideration is whether you want to install wired or wireless cameras. Although, wireless is much easier to install, it is more expensive and can occasionally be unreliable. With a hardwired CCTV camera, it is more difficult to install, but you don’t have to worry about signal loss.
Your third consideration is perhaps the most important and comprises of five individual aspects. You need to decide:
what area you need to see
how far away this area is
how much coverage you need
what the lighting conditions are like
will it be indoor or outdoor
You have to know the answers to these questions in order to determine the correct kind of camera and lens combination.
Your fourth consideration is the type of recorder that will work best for your needs. Time lapse recorders are still available however, they have many limitations on the time and scene recorded, and additional equipment, such as a switcher or multiplexer is often required. A CCTV DVR, on the other hand, allows you to record much longer periods of time, which can be downloaded to a PC or burned to a CD. In addition, the quality of your CCTV footage will not degrade over time.
Your final consideration is the CCTV monitor. You need decide what type and size of monitor you want or if you even need one. The space constraints in the area you will place the monitor will determine what size of CCTV monitor you should get.
Many of our systems do not even require a dedicated CCTV monitor. By using sophisticated CCTV software, your system can be monitored from a normal PC screen, and can even be viewed over the internet from another location.
There are many considerations you need to take into account when installing a CCTV system, and it is often better to have on-the-spot advice specific to your site. If you would like one of our engineers to visit you onsite to provide you with a free security audit, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thinking like a thief is the answer if you’re thinking of installing a home security system for the first time. When looking to install a security system, the first thing to consider is to make sure it is well planned out. Look at the exterior of your house and note what type of equipment you would like to employ and where it will be positioned along with any other relevant notes.
In terms of thinking like a thief ask yourself "If I were a thief where would be the best entry point to gain access to this house?". Then you can go on to decide the best way to protect these areas.
Steel shutters, window bars and adequate locks could protect some areas. This will deter the majority of criminals. If you have vulnerable areas on your property, you may want these protected by security lighting triggered by body heat or CCTV cameras with night vision.
When you have considered all the options for the exterior, then move to the interior.
Enter your property via your previously identified access points, keeping in mind the type of security equipment that could detect your presence and what position it would have to be in.
Some security equipment to consider include:
Alarms – tend to go off regularly and therefore don’t raise concern when they go off among some housing estates, but do provide deterrent against intruders.
Passive Infra-Red sensors – will detect the body heat of any intruder and can be linked to alarms or CCTV cameras.
CCTV – offer monitoring capabilities whether viewed across a wireless link or recorded onto a DVR.
Window and door sensors – notify immediately when a threshold has been breached.
An alternative is to have the system monitored by a dedicated intruder alarm monitoring service, which, if also connected to a CCTV system, can be viewed through monitors allowing immediate decision to be made if required.
Most CCTV systems can be set up to operate on detection of motion, and then programmed to perform a number of tasks. They can again contact interested parties by telephone, SMS, and email, and can even transmit the video pictures to a dedicated website which can be viewed from anywhere in the world.
Of course, if you are operating on a limited budget, you will have to prioritise which areas of your property need protection. But please remember to use reliable security equipment from reputable manufacturers.
For further information and advice on your security and CCTV requirements, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
The police and Home Office are to press for regulatory powers that will insist that every one of the 4.2 million CCTV cameras in Britain is upgraded so it can be deputised to gather police evidence and provide a vehicle for emerging technologies that will automatically identify people and detect if they are doing anything suspicious.
The CCTV strategy for crime reduction, which is expected to be published in December after a joint review by the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers, is also expected to be critical of the way the law governing the use of CCTV has been managed by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The ICO has repeatedly asked the Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA) for powers of inspection so it can check that people’s CCTV systems are being used properly – not just so that they are fit for the purpose of crime detection, but also that they are not intruding on people’s privacy. But the DCA had refused.
Even if the ICO was given the power to inspect people’s CCTV installations, it could not afford to do the work. Neither is the government willing to foot the bill of upgrading the many public CCTV networks using old technology.
Moreover, public funding would not fund private CCTV operators, which are more often found by the police to be inadequate when they turn to them for evidence.
So the CCTV review will suggest some sort of self-funding regime. This could mean that CCTV operators might have to pay a higher registration fee than the yearly £35 they pay to the ICO. Fines could also be charged to those who fail their inspections.
The review is also expected to call for a public debate on CCTV, which should please the ICO after it said that British society was being fundamentally changed by the rapid growth of surveillance and that we should pause for thought before it’s too late.
This compelling argument, combined with a review of the Data Protection Act that the DCA has hinted may weaken existing protections, combine also with the idea expected to be presented in the CCTV review that the ICO might not even be the best authority to take charge of surveillance.
The result could be that the ICO’s optimistic grab for public authority over the important issue of civil liberties versus the potential for near-total law enforcement could be checked before it has even got a hold.
The police are of the view that the rules governing CCTV were tacked onto the Data Protection Act and added to the ICO’s remit in a bit of a hurry at a time when there was no Surveillance Commissioner and no European Convention of Human Rights. Now there are both, and given that the police think the ICO hasn’t done its job of ensuring all the nation’s CCTV cameras are good enough for the police, perhaps someone else ought to take responsibility for it?
The options include the Surveillance Commissioner, which keeps an eye on the intelligence services, and the Security Industry Authority, which licences private security firms. Though they lack the one important thing that gives the ICO its authority to govern CCTV operators – custodianship of the Data Protection Act – there is an argument being forwarded as a reason to take CCTV away from the ICO.
It is thought in some quarters that the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) contains provisions enough to prevent people’s privacy being abused by CCTV intrusions, and this would allow responsibility for this sort of surveillance to be land-grabbed back from the Data Protection Act and the ICO. It is worth noting, however, that the ECHR has warned publicly that civil libertarians should not rely on it to free them from the clutches of the surveillance state.
Another argument the police are using is that the ICO is a year late delivering a new CCTV Code of Practice, which is being revised to reflect emerging technologies such as facial recognition and behavioural analysis that promise to turn the nation’s CCTV cameras into a bionic arm of the law.
Aside from the fact the ICO is short of resources, the other reason why the review is so late is that it is waiting to incorporate the deliberations of the Article 29 Working Party – which advises the European Commission on data protection matters on behalf of the information commissioners in all 25 European member states – on which parts of the data a CCTV camera captures should be considered personal data and therefore protected as someone’s private business under the Data Protection Act and the ECHR?
Information commissioners around the world share the ICO’s concern about the eye of the state intruding into the private lives of ordinary people. One of their concerns is the sort of intelligent CCTV technology described above, which the review would also try to address.
People can often be reluctant to install CCTV cameras because they believe it increases liability. Our experience is a camera system decreases liability since the owner is taking steps to provide a secure facility.
But if the system is not monitored live does this give the occupant a false sense of security? Have you ever heard where an owner is liable for cameras that are not monitored live or liable for systems that do not have complete coverage of parking areas? And does an owner legally have to post signs stating area has surveillance cameras and/or is being recorded?
Answer
The issue of camera installation continues to plague property owners and security dealers because there is so little precedent to rely upon. There are, however, some principals of law which can be applied. One is that property owners do owe their tenants and others lawfully on the property some degree of reasonable protection. The level of duty has many variables.
A landlord of a residential property has a duty to provide reasonable security when the property is known to be in a high crime area and that tenants are likely to be at risk. Also, there are laws that affect the landlord’s duty to provide some level of protection, such as front door locks and intercom systems. Of course fire protection/detection is another level of security and safety which is generally required.
Video surveillance, however, is rarely required by law. More often than not CCTV is installed by property owners as a measure to reduce property damage or to record the damage for possible police investigation after the fact.
Some property complexes do have digital CCTV with on-site guard monitoring and certainly the presence of CCTV does raise the question of liability. One who assumes a duty is then required to perform that duty in a reasonable manner. Thus, creating a sense of security by installing cameras or taking other security measures designed to instill a sense of safety will create a duty to provide that reasonable measure of protection.
Property owners would be wise to make it clear what cameras or other security is designed to do or detect. Signs just as conspicuous as the cameras would be a good start. A notice to commercial tenants that cameras have been installed but are not supervised and are for the owners property protection would be a good idea.
The public’s perception of CCTV coverage – or for that matter guard coverage – is probably not accurate with reality. Rarely are CCTV cameras manned and more often than not security guards are instructed not to get involved in an incident other than to communicate with the police to report an incident. This is not to suggest that there are not buildings where CCTV is monitored live and where guards are armed and prepared to intervene.
A reasonable person on the premises should be able to figure out what kind of security exists on the premises, and an owner creating a false sense of security should expect to be held responsible, not necessarily for the entire injury or loss, but contributing to it by the injured party not taking other security measures because of the false sense of security.
The Federation of Small Businesses has highlighted the tragic impact that crime has on shopkeepers across the UK. As more small shops are victims of crime, especially violent crime, people are losing their livelihoods, areas are becoming more deprived as jobs and facilities move elsewhere and consumers are finding their choices reduced.
Police surveys show that twenty per cent of all crimes are committed against businesses, while the FSB’s research shows that this crime costs £19 billion per year, and businesses believe that these crimes are not given the same priority as other offences.
Forty per cent of businesses do not report crimes against them because they do not believe that it would achieve anything, such is their lack of confidence in the authorities.
Regeneration projects in deprived areas and town centres are also hit by high levels of crime. Businesses close or move away and this increases the vicious circle of crime costing jobs locally, which leads to more crime.
The retail sector suffers the highest level of intimidation or threatening behaviour of any business sector – a third of small firms have been the victim of such crime in the past year. The retail sector alone loses £1.5 billion per year to crime. Shopkeepers often live above or near their business, which means that even when not working they can continue to be victimised.
The Federation of Small Businesses will be putting up rewards, subject to consultations and in conjunction with the police, for information leading to convictions in cases where shopkeepers have been murdered. This reflects the FSB’s concern about violent crime against shopkeepers and underlines the organisation’s commitment to cracking down on such offences.
The local shop is often taken for granted. Its always there when we need it and so it is taken as a given. However, one in three small shops has been the victim of intimidation or threatening behaviour in the past year.
The Government is rightly keen to regenerate deprived areas of the country. However, they cannot do so if local businesses are closing to move elsewhere. The route to success in local regeneration lies in defeating crime. Businesses can then prosper – providing employment to youths who are currently disaffected and taking them off the streets. Economic growth will then regenerate areas in a more effective and sustainable way than any Government-funded programme could achieve.
Digital CCTV systems can provide a deterrent against crimes, both large and small, and can provide the vital evidence against perpetrators in a court of law. If you are interested in installing a CCTV system on your premises, do not hesitate to contact us.
Up to 90 per cent of surveillance cameras may be breaching the Information Commissioner’s code of practice laid down to stop cameras being used inappropriately. Even more seriously, a large proportion of the UK’s 14.2 million cameras breach the Data Protection Act and so are illegal.
It has been predicted that the illegality of many cameras will lead to future clashes in court and possible acquittals of suspects.
Research has shown that up to 90 per cent of CCTV installations fail to comply with the Information Commissioner’s code of practice, and that many installations are operated illegally. This has profound implications for the reputation of the CCTV and camera surveillance industry and all concerned with it.
CameraWatch, a non-profit making independent body, which commissioned the survey says that it is not against CCTV as a crime-fighting tool; surveillance pictures are as useful to police as DNA forensic evidence. Their concern lies with the increasing amount of CCTV camera installations that do not comply with the Data Protection Act.
Under the code of practice and according to the Data Protection Act, CCTV cameras must be visible with clear signs. In addition, camera operators have an obligation to stop images of individuals being seen by third parties. Operators most commonly breach these rules by not keeping recorded tapes secure, meaning they could potentially be stolen.
The rise of digital cameras opens up further problems because the images can easily be shared as digital files rather than remaining on a closed loop.
Defence counsels in court could theoretically question the legality of CCTV pictures in order to have the evidence dismissed or the case thrown out. Although the issue has not yet been tested in court, one such case could set a precedent throwing into doubt the whole surveillance network.
Responding to the new research, the Information Commissioner’s Office has denied that CCTV rules are being broken on a large scale.
Ken Macdonald, Assistant Information Commissioner for Scotland, said: "We welcome the initiative by CameraWatch to promote compliance with the Data Protection Act. We are not aware of any evidence that supports the suggestion that 90 per cent of CCTV cameras are not complying with the ICO Code of Practice. We don’t believe there is any such evidence. Where we receive complaints that CCTV is being used in breach of the Data Protection Act we will investigate. We have a range of enforcement powers at our disposal."
In business, you want a return on your investments. You buy your products and sell them for a profit. You hire the best people and expect the best from them.
Most shopowners who install CCTV surveillance systems do so to detect theft and protect against robberies. But did you know that there are other great reasons to install a CCTV surveillance system? So don’t skimp. Any one of these benefits could pay for your system!
Just about everyone has wanted to be a star. Give your customers some practice for their big break! In addition to simply installing CCTV cameras, you can install a Public View system. Public View, or more simply a video monitor, allows your customers and employees (and potential robbers and thieves) to see that you are recording them. This is a great preventative measure.
Most shoplifters say that they won’t steal if they know they are under surveillance. The losses you prevent can easily pay for your system within a year. A complete surveillance system with good camera angles and clear pictures can create quite an impression.
During an interview, potential employees try to put their best foot forward – it’s all about impressions. Once you’ve decided to hire somebody, it’s time to make some impressions of your own.
You’ve heard the saying, "When the cat’s away, the mice will play". What are your employees doing when you’re not around? Keep your employees honest by conducting Impressions of Control. An Impression of Control lets employees know that you are paying attention. Take ten or fifteen minutes to review video tape each day and take some notes.
Do you see your employees doing something wrong? Follow up with them. Tell your cashier that you were looking at the cameras and saw her forget to count back change to a customer, or forget to verify the signature on the back of a credit card. An even better idea is to catch them doing something right! Tell your shelf-stacker that you saw him on the camera pick up that piece of paper so no one slips on it.
By letting your employees know that you appreciate it when they do something right, you can reduce employee turnover. The absolute best way to use Impressions of Control is to watch your employees in real time. Call or talk to them right away and let them know what you just saw.
In today’s litigious society, you can get sued for looking at someone the wrong way. If you have customers and employees, then chances are one of them is going to get hurt. Many times accidents are caused by carelessness. Imagine having videotape surveillance of a customer climbing on a shelf, then falling. Do you think she’s going to tell you she was climbing before she fell? Probably not.
Did you know that there are people who go into businesses and stage accidents just so they can sue? An accident in your place of business can cost hundreds of thousands if not millions of pounds. One accident can wipe out an entire year’s profits! Having video surveillance footage of an accident can tip the scales of justice in your favour.
So go ahead and spend a few extra pounds on your video surveillance system. You’ll keep your customers and employees safer and more honest. Your CCTV system can help you catch your employees doing something right. And it can save you millions if you’re sued because of an accident. Now that’s quite a return on your investment!
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Despite the threat of prosecution, British homeowners are prepared to protect their homes and family from burglars using extreme measures. A recent survey has shown that 8 out of 10 people would use anything to hand to protect their homes if faced with an unwanted intruder. Men would go even further – 1 in 10 men would use a gun and 1 in 8 would use a knife.
There is clear support for some homeowners who take the law into their own hands: an amazing 83% of respondents think it’s unfair to prosecute people who protect their property with a weapon.
This dangerous and high-risk approach is not to be condoned, and shows that more needs to be done to increase awareness of the effective preventative measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of intruders gaining entry in the first place.
The Home Office reports the cost of burglary to the nation to be £2.8 billion each year. Official figures put the number of burglaries anywhere between 645,000 and 880,000 – or up to 100 burglaries every hour of the day and night.
Further Home Office research shows burglar alarms and CCTV to be the greatest burglary deterrents – over 80% of burglars are put off by these. However only a very small number of homes have them: less than 1 in 5 victims had an alarm system and only 1 in 30 had CCTV.
For many victims of break-ins it’s a case of being wise after the event. 65% added security to their property after being burgled with 1 in 4 people adding an alarm and the same number installing window locks. Only 1 in 13 added CCTV – a surprisingly low figure, given that previous research has shown that 67% of burglars avoid properties with CCTV installed.
Tips to reduce the risk of burglary include:
Close and lock all doors and windows to deter opportunist thieves.
Use timers to switch on your table lamps, radio and TV whilst you are away so it looks like you are home.
Fit a burglar alarm and make sure you fit an alarm siren box at the front and back of your home so they act as a deterrent to intruders.
Fit security lanterns to your porch and floodlights in your garden. Any unwanted visitors will trigger the sensors, flooding the area with light.
Plant thorny trees such as holly under vulnerable windows or low walls to deter entrance.
Remove keys from locked windows and doors and keep them out of sight in a safe place.
Check who is at your front door before opening it and use a safety chain for added security.
When you go away on holiday, ensure you cancel your newspapers and milk and ask trusted neighbours to push through any mail that is left in your letterbox.
Reducing the personal cost of burglary – such as the loss of irreplaceable sentimental items, stress and anxiety of the intrusion and the hassle of dealing with police, insurance companies and tradesmen – can only benefit everyone, as well as reducing the huge cost to the nation.
For more information on digital home CCTV systems, please do not hesitate to contact us.
There is a new wave of storage media sweeping over the CCTV world. DVR’s (Digital Video Recorders) are set to become the standard platform for recording and reviewing captured video over a CCTV network.
Older PC Video Recorders worked by recording to a PC that was susceptible to the flaws common place in such operating systems. Thus making it an unstable option, but unfortunately at the time, the best option. Although a significant step up from recording to analogue tapes, which produced footage that often fell far short of ‘evidence quality’ pictures, there was still a long way to go.
DVR’s have taken the next technological stride forwards. A DVR is a dedicated recorder with a specifically written program embedded on its hardware flash drive. Generic PC motherboards have been replaced by a purpose built integrated board combining video circuits, Ethernet connection and processors that reduce power consumption and provide a system it for 24Hr, 365 day operation.
Users of more ‘traditional’ CCTV systems however, will not feel like they have to learn an entirely new system. This is because a number of the new DVR’s designed to have the same ‘look and feel’ of their older systems. This is making the change over for many companies much easier than anticipated.
The advances made are not limited only to the higher quality footage achieved, but also include the way in which data can be reviewed. DVR technology allows the user to view and analyse both live and recorded video as before, as well as offering the ability to view ‘event based’ video clips, where only footage of things happening is shown. Countless hours of dead time can be quickly ignored so the users time can be better utilised.
The amount of time available to record to a DVR is obviously dependant on the model and disk size, but the weeks of storage available on some models offer a tempting alternative to stacks of old video tape recorders, all busy capturing sub-standard images.
With storage ever an issue, especially with the advances in camera quality, DVR’s can offer a readily accessible hard drive, but also have the additional option of a DVD writer, effectively offering unlimited, high quality storage.
The industry is also being revolutionised by functions found on DVR’s like the E-Mail and SMS alerts of unauthorised activity, playing the part of a operator watching live events unfolding.
Another storage friendly option offered up by these systems is the ‘pre-alarm’ recording function. The recording that is continuously being overwritten can be logged and stored separately in the event of an alarm being triggered, with footage before the event itself stored as well.
Companies around the CCTV world are also now benefiting from the remote access made easily available by the I.P. connectivity and remote monitoring functionality. Where this has been an option in systems before, it has never been as straightforward.
If you are looking to install a DVR based CCTV solution on your premises, or simply require further information or advice on security solutions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.