CCTV Can Stop Theft

Britain has one of the most extensive CCTV networks in the world with the average person being caught on 70 cameras every day, but do they work?

The BBC reported that, in 2008, the 1,000 cameras in London streets were responsible for solving only one crime each!  But how many crimes were deterred by their presence and what effect do they have on the criminal’s thinking and behaviour?

The police believe that while CCTV has little impact on general crime levels, especially violent street crime, when it’s targeted on specific crimes in specific environments, then it is more effective. The jury may still be out on whether CCTV just displaces crime to other areas but that’s for the police to worry about – the business owner only needs to protect their own boundaries.

Stopping them in their tracks!

At ADP Security we’ve had a number of successes with the CCTV systems we’ve installed at clients’ properties.

In October 2014 we stopped two criminals from causing thousands of pounds worth of potential losses at a local truck dealership.

One of our security officers in our remote control centre in Petersfield was watching CCTV one night when he saw two men coming through the fencing onto the site. It looked to him like they were about to syphon fuel from the vehicles, so he used a tannoy on the CCTV system to issue a warning. They ignored him at first but, after repeating his warning, they left the site and he called the police. Surprisingly, the men returned for another go and when the police arrived our officer again used the tannoy, this time to direct them onto the suspects to capture them.

So, instead of a stand-alone deterrent, if CCTV is installed after a thorough risk assessment and situational analysis, with a specific aim in mind and as part of an enhanced security system, it does the job.

** It’s a fact!

Home Office studies show that CCTV is most effective in enclosed areas where near-full coverage can be achieved, especially when combined with other measures such as better lighting and physical security. **

If you would like to upgrade your security to monitored CCTV, call today on 01730 261510.