Better CCTV Needed

Baroness Scotland has told the House of Lords that poor quality CCTV footage currently runs the risk of innocent people being wrongly arrested. She also added that "digital CCTV… will enable us, particularly when ID cards* come in, to identify those who are responsible for very serious crimes."

The Home Office have maintained that there will be no direct link between the National Identity Register and CCTV systems, however if CCTV footage of a suspect was available, it may be possible for the police to conduct a check of the image against facial images held on the Register.

For this reason, it is also very important to ensure high-quality, well-maintained footage caught on digital recording equipment is made available to the police in the event of a crime, in order to avoid incorrect arrests.

There are a large number of CCTV systems – both old and new – that do not meet current standards concerning the quality of footage obtained. Old analogue CCTV systems are likely to fall short of the police requirements, however it may not be necessary to replace your entire system in order to become compliant. A simple upgrade of certain components of your CCTV network can be enough.

Good quality footage of intruders, vandals, and thieves have been used in a number of public prosecutions by the police, and have provided invaluable evidence when linking villains to crimes.

If you are looking to upgrade your CCTV system, the engineers at CCTV Surveillance will be happy to advise you on any necessary modifications you will need to make in order to gain complicity.

*The ID cards scheme was passed by Parliament earlier this year after long running resistance from the House of Lords. Everyone over the age of 16 who applies for a passport will have their details added to a National Identity Register from 2008.