Author Archives: tensor_cctvsurveillance

  1. New Guides On Vandalism Released

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    The Home Office has published a series of 5 short practical guides through its crime reduction website, to help businesses and organisations tackle vandalism and criminal damage.

    Each guide is short and snappy at only 4 pages long, and addresses practical issues, illustrating its points with pen picture case studies.

    The titles of the guides are:

    • Tackling vandalism and other criminal damage;
    • Tools and powers for tackling criminal damage;
    • Environmental approaches to tackling vandalism;
    • High visibility policing;
    • Tackling youth vandalism;
    • Tackling arson;
    • Criminal damage – Problem analysis;
    • Environmental clean up days.

    If you would like to download the guides for viewing at your leisure, they can be found on the Government’s Crime Reduction website on this link.

    Recommended in the literature is the implementation of surveillance systems. If you are looking to implement a CCTV surveillance system on your premises, it is worth bearing in mind that new digital CCTV camera and recording systems are now available at affordable prices, which are compliant with UK police requirements, and thus can be used in a British court of law to prosecute thieves, vandals and trespassers.

    If you are interested in learning more about digital CCTV and how it can help you, why not contact a member of the CCTV Surveillance sales team, who would be happy to provide you with additional information and advice.

  2. The Most Closely Watched Nation

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    When you are next walking through any of London’s Underground stations, take a moment to scan your eyes upwards to the ceiling and you shall see them. Some will be obvious in their rectangular white housing, others disguised behind black domes.

    There are more than 6,000 CCTV cameras across London’s Tube network, which transport bosses say will rise to 12,000 over the next five years.

    Even outside the confines of the London Underground they are present. That space six feet above your head – the CCTV Zone – where the cameras are nestled, growing like mould on jam. Peering at bank doorways and over cash machines, looking down the aisles of your local supermarket, tucked into the ceiling at the local newsagent’s.

    Britain is "CCTV Nation". We have more of them than anywhere else in the world. How many more, nobody can say. It has often been claimed that there are four million CCTV cameras in Britain, and that we are likely to be caught on camera 300 times a day, but even the academic that came up with these figures admits that he doesn’t know for sure.

    Ask the Austrians if they think CCTV is a good thing, and only 24% of them say yes. Ask the British, and 90% give the thumbs up. We like to be watched. We want to be watched.

    To understand why CCTV is widely seen as a "Very Good Thing" we have to go back 13 years, to the murder of Jamie Bulger. Until then CCTV cameras had been rare in Britain. When the abduction happened and we got these incredible grainy images of the toddler being led away, the cameras became a major player in an horrific event.

    This incident spurred officials within the Crime Prevention Unit of the Home Office to look at what CCTV could do for them. Between 1994 and 1997, £45m of government funds was pledged to implementing CCTV projects across the UK, all of which was matched with local money.

    Since then, Labour has spent £170m.

    Whether you are a fan of CCTV or not, it isn’t going to go away, and with the introduction of affordable digital CCTV systems and software, the number of CCTV cameras on the streets is destined to increase.

    If you are interested in protecting your property with CCTV, why not contact CCTV Surveillance for information and advice of suitable digital CCTV systems.

  3. CCTV For Cheeky Motorists

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    How many times have you been stuck in a queue of traffic waiting to get in or out of a busy town centre, when a cheeky motorist zooms past you in the empty bus lane. Have you ever felt tempted to follow that motorist yourself? What do you have to lose?

    Well, be warned. This practice is illegal and the likeyhood of you being caught has now significantly increased as town councils look to digital CCTV to monitor their bus lanes and no-waiting areas.

    The latest city to implement CCTV technology is Edinburgh where, under plans drawn up by the city council, motorists would be fined £60 if they are recorded commiting traffic violations such as flouting the bus lane rules.

    A pilot scheme in the London borough of Camden which targeted motorists unloading in "no waiting" areas, stopping on yellow-box junctions or making illegal turns has been judged a great success, and will now be used in other London boroughs from later this year.

    Most town and city bus lanes are patrolled by police traffic wardens, but with CCTV surveillance systems now an affordable alternative, many councils are looking to implement the technology to crackdown on the problem more efficiently, and release wardens to carry out work elsewhere.

    The main aims of installing CCTV cameras are to:

    • Reduce congestion;
    • Improve journey times for bus users;
    • Allow the free flow of traffic;
    • Keep the bus lanes clear in order to prevent delays for commuters;
    • Combat inconsiderate motorists.

    By installing a CCTV system, councils not only save police time, but offenders are caught more easily, and extra money is raised for the council coffers, which can go towards improving council-run public services.

  4. Burglars Install CCTV

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    A recent prison survey has revealed that 29% of burglars have installed some kind of digital CCTV system in their own homes, compared to just 4% of the rest of of us. Similarly, 43% of burglars have a home intruder alarm system, compared to just 34% of all households.

    These stats show that even the burglars themselves regard digital CCTV as an effective deterrent – in fact, more than two-thirds of burglars rated CCTV as an effective security measure, saying they would probably or definitely not burgle a home that had a CCTV system installed.

    In addition to CCTV, the survey found that intruder alarms and security lighting were also feared, and properties with these devices installed were generally avoided.

    The detterent abilities of CCTV systems often come into the public spotlight, especially if the technology has been involved in the capture and prosecution of perpetrators. Although this survey was conducted by a relatively small fraction of the UK population, the very fact that there is such trust placed in CCTV from convicted burglars speaks for itself.

    What used to be an expensive and complicated security system has now become affordable due to advances in technology and cheap imports. Modular in design, a system can comprise of virtually any number of CCTV cameras, both covert and overt, and can successfully monitor any surveillance area, provided that area is on private property.

    If you are interested in installing a digital CCTV system on your property, why not give CCTV Surveillance a call and we will be happy to advise you on suitable systems and software for the size and type of your premises.

    Not simply restricted to offices and warehouses, we have a comprehensive range of CCTV equipment ideal for use within residential properties too, all of which provide evidence quality footage that can be used to prosecute thieves, vandals, and trespassers in a British Court of Law.

  5. Technology Solving Crime

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    There are 4 million CCTV cameras in the UK – one for every 15 of us. It is thought, on average, that each one of us is captured on film 300 times every day. Does this booming industry worry you? It shouldn’t, because only the guilty have anything to hide.

    Advances in technology have cut crime and conviction rates by unimaginable proportions compared to just a few years ago. Calls to the government about policing a "nanny state" are well-founded, however over-reaction to new technology isn’t uncommon – after all, we’re all a little afraid of the unknown.

    Examples include the police DNA database, which has helped to detect 500 serious crimes. People suspected of commiting a crime have their DNA entered into the national database, which can then be cross-checked every time a crime is committed. It is thought that by 2008, it will have samples from 4.2 million of us.

    Why is taking our DNA evidence a problem when the vast majority of us will never commit a crime?

    Your mobile phone records can be checked and analysed if you are suspected of committing a crime, which in itself can be deemed an intrusion of privacy. In addition, the very nature of the way that the mobile phone network operates means that your whereabouts can be tracked, and you can be monitored whenever you use your phone.

    Why is tracking our whereabouts a problem? Surely, should a person go missing, the very idea that they can be traced by making a simple phone call makes this technology indispensable.

    Technology is currently being developed, which would be able to track our cars by satellite whenever we enter London. The total mileage travelled will then be added up and a congestion charge applied.

    Is this not a better alternative than the current £8-per-day congestion charge, which is applied to everyone without discretion?

    It is inevitable that advances in technology will lead to more intuitive solutions to our everyday problems, and that crime will almost certainly remain the catalyst, encouraging new ideas and new technology to come to the forefront.

    Some liberals will no doubt harp on about the supposed loss of privacy, or how officials could misuse our data, but in all honesty, the only ones fretting, are those who have something to hide.

  6. CCTV Helps With Lambing

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    With the UK lambing season just about to get started, sheep farmers are increasingly looking to install CCTV cameras in the sheep pen in order to keep an eye on their pregnant ewes.

    Over the last year, in particular, digital CCTV equipment has dramatically dropped in price, providing farmers with a cost-effective solution to the sleepless nights predicted over the coming weeks. Sheep farmers can now afford to invest in the new technology enabling them to get a good nights sleep, safe in the knowledge that their flock are safe and well in their paddock.

    Digital CCTV is ideal for "when the ewe starts lambing as you don’t have to come up, put the lights on, and poke your head over the door, which can upset and disturb them," one farmer noted. It also reduces the likelyhood of problems during the birth, caused by stress generated if a ewe is unnecessarily disturbed.

    The ability to be able to watch the sheep from the comfort of the living room has provided an ideal solution for farmers who do not have much help, or are involved in activities in other areas of the farm.

    The installation of digital CCTV systems on farms is a relatively new concept, largely spurred on by the price and modular qualities of a CCTV network. Not only used to check on livestock, CCTV can monitor farm equipment, and outbuildings can be put under 24-hour surveillance.

    If you are interested in installing a CCTV camera network on your farm, why not contact CCTV Surveillance. We are experts in installing digital CCTV systems in a variety of environments, including factories and farms.

    We will provide your farm with a free security audit, and build a bespoke CCTV network plan tailored to your specific requirements. We will also offer you advice on camera choice, position, and distribution.

    Our standing within the CCTV marketplace also enables us to offer you lease and rental opportunities, whether it be for a short-term lease or a long-term contract.

  7. Introduction of Approved Contractor Scheme

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    Following public consultation during the autumn of last year and pressure from Security Industry Authority groups, the UK Government has decided to introduce an Approved Contractor Scheme for the private security industry.

    The main aim of this new scheme is to raise performance standards and to assist all members of the private security industry to develop new opportunities. The scheme is voluntary and was developed in consultation with representatives from across the CCTV industry.

    There is still a lot of detail to be worked through, but so far it has been determined that CCTV companies approved under the scheme will be permitted to deploy a small proportion of their security personnel who are not yet licensed but have completed training and have an application pending.

    From 20 March 2006 SIA licences will be legally required for security personnel (supplied under contract) working in public space surveillance CCTV, among others.

    The Approved Contractor Scheme is a process intended to offer companies the opportunity to both simplify their licensing and to save money. The ACS process demonstrates that a company is competent, well-managed and able to deliver a quality service.

    CCTV Surveillance Ltd has a number of accreditations and certifications including:

    • BSIA accreditation
    • ISO 9001
    • CCNSG Safety Passport
    • CPD certification

    By achieving certification and accreditation standards, we have confidence in the knowledge that our systems are working efficiently and meet international standards of excellence.