subject: Cctv Surveillance Systems Get National Endorsement - Is Yours Up To Scratch? [print this page] Last year's looting and rioting in London was a great endorsement for the installation, use and true value of CCTV systems in shops and businesses in comparison with traditional methods of security such as alarms, metal locks and shutters. In the targeted locations of the riots store owners came back the following day to discover doors and gated shutters simply ripped from their hinges and their produce gone.
Organised gangs turned over shop after shop and, as the looting and physical violence spread, the fear of being exposed seemed to melt away as masks, scarves and neckerchiefs were cast away.
However the CCTV cameras ran all the time, capturing everything as it developed, and CCTV video footage and pictures provided by both Councils and shops has been brought into play to determine the hooligans resulting in them being put on trial by the courts. The Metropolitan Police Force have stated they had over 20,000 hours of CCTV video to go through and that video proof is now "a big part" of investigations into such episodes.
With such good backing from shopkeepers and the criminal system, it is a good prompt to look at your CCTV monitoring to see that it is running properly and that the set-up is done to suit to your requirements. It is essential, for example, that the recorded picture is of sufficient quality for prosecution purposes.
The British Security Industry Association instructions recommend that the picture quality of each camera and monitor should be regularly checked up on. This includes checking camera functions for each station e.g. pan, tilt, zoom, focus, iris, auto-pan, wiper etc, the camera/monitor combination selection, the operation of recorder (s) and the function of special tools such as video multiplexers and date and time generators.
Typical checks should also include any interfaces with alarms e.g. movement alarms, fences etc, that all indicator lamps are functioning efficiently, that camera movement and field of view is free from obstacle and that all relevant warning labels are in place. Functional maintenance checks include things like checking that external, flexible cables are properly supported and undamaged, examining towers and brackets for signs of deterioration and damage, lowering towers and checking cable for fraying and checking all glands and seals on external equipment as well as checking all external and internal flexible wiring and all fixed and flexible conduits for signs of wear and fraying.
Even the best CCTV cameras will yield unsatisfactory results if they are not set up competently or if they are not regularly examined and serviced.
Ensure that your system is up to date and able to prove the power of CCTV.
