According to the British Security Industry Association, in 2013 there were between 4 and 6 million CCTV surveillance cameras in the UK. Continuing technological developments including picture quality and analytics and recognition software mean that it’s increasingly popular as a security solution for both businesses and homeowners. Whether for your business or home, the advantages of having 24-hour video surveillance on your property are pretty clear.
With that in mind, here are the top 4 benefits of fitting CCTV cameras in your business.
24/7 peace of mind
It’s simply not feasible for many businesses to have 24/7 “manned” security. Technology has to do some of the hard work and the heavy lifting here – and CCTV is no exception. Installing a CCTV system gives you peace of mind that something has visibility over your business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can control and monitor many systems remotely, so if you feel you want to check in while you’re not there, it’s as easy as the click of a button. Combining CCTV with state-of-the-art video analytics can also open up the ability to create automated alerts based on the video feed – for example, if a vehicle or person enters a certain area at a certain time, or someone is detected loitering. You can also add in remote monitoring packages with your security provider, for the ultimate peace of mind that someone is watching over your business at all times.
Cost-effective
As we’ve alluded to above, installing CCTV in your business is an incredibly cost-effective way of accessing 24/7, real-time surveillance without the need to employ dedicated staff. When you add in the amount of money you could potentially lose if a theft occurred which you were either unable to prevent or had no evidence to support an insurance claim, then the system will have paid for itself.
Collecting evidence
Where it’d obviously be preferable to avoid or prevent the crime completely, incidents can happen. And when and if they do, having CCTV footage to fall back in can prove invaluable. Being able to identify what, where, when and who via the footage could hopefully help you or the police swiftly identify the culprit and reach a resolution. From a purely internal perspective, CCTV can be helpful with safeguarding issues, handling disputes or settling disciplinary issues. When using CCTV to monitor your staff, it’s important that you familiarise yourself with your obligations and take the necessary steps to inform employees and process the footage in a compliant way.
They’re a deterrent
While it can be powered by the latest in HD and video analytics when you need them, CCTV cameras can also effectively act as simple deterrents to potential intruders, and help prevent other crimes like employee theft. A study by the college of policing in 2013 found that the installation of CCTV cameras had a “notable impact” on local crime rates. CCTV can be particularly effective in helping to reduce vehicle crime – with a 2008 study finding that vehicle-related crime reduced by around 51% in car parks which deployed CCTV.
Century Secure Group UK Ltd have helped countless business and homeowners in the Midlands and beyond protect their property with state-of-the-art CCTV solutions. We can design, implement, monitor and maintain a CCTV system that meets the needs of your organisation – from a small single site to a multi-site network system. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch.
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