CCTV Explained in Plain English

 

Your CCTV camera must be fit for purpose and you need to be very precise when instructing your CCTV consultant. Lets look at Car Parks for example; there may be various elements that need to be observed; the entrance/exit and entire area, any individual car and a close up on the drivers' face and/or the registration number.

Another example is a retail counter; we need to monitor the point of sale for both security and health & safety. Estimating an individual's height is important so whilst distance is essential we need to get a very close view of money being exchanged … and without compromising reproduction quality for evidence.

Some of these cameras will clearly need to be visible and act as a deterrent. We also might want high visibility CCTV in domes so that nobody can see which way they are pointing and of course we might want to catch someone in the act so we choose covert CCTV.

Locating CCTV cameras isn't the only aspect, the monitors are equally important. We'll look at the different types further down because focussing on the ergonomics of a security control room or guards station is important right now.

How many monitors can one individual view effectively at any given time for say, one hour?. Is it better to have all four events working from one monitor? Is there an optimum distance from the location of monitors to the CCTV operators' eyes? - How is this calculated? . How long do we need to keep recordings and in what format?

Video recordings have been effective in helping employers and police identify criminals whilst conducting crimes including; armed robbery, burglary, car park robbery, credit card fraud, colleague harassment, computer abuse, customer returns fraud, employee theft, shoplifting, vandalism, and more. Hidden cameras are often a short-term measure for targeted surveillance operations and specialist advice from UK CCTV Experts should be sought and an understanding of the Data Protection Act is essential.

When we don't understand something, we are vulnerable and the CCTV industry is no exception, especially when buying after the event and seriously effected by a previous incident.
Not all CCTV Consultants are vultures and rogues but getting an understanding of elements such as colour and monochrome video cameras, time lapse VCR's, switchers and multiplexes, remote movement control, telephone video transmission systems ... and more - Look no further, here is a simple guide to CCTV. It's not intended to be a comprehensive buyers guide but will certainly help along the way.

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