15 Things That You Need to Know Before Purchasing CCTV

A whitepaper by Gardwell Secure Systems

Email: info@gardwellsecuresystems.co.uk Web: www.gardwellsecuresystems.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0)1493 742020

GARDWELL SECURE SYSTEMS 2011. Registered Office: Brooke House, John Hyrne Way, Norwich, NR5 0AF Registered in England: 6395272

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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

Table of Contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Why choose CCTV? ............................................................................................................................... 3 What is the purpose of CCTV? .............................................................................................................. 5 15 Things that you need to know before purchasing CCTV? ................................................................ 6 Technical Jargon .................................................................................................................................. 13 About Gardwell Secure Systems ......................................................................................................... 16

GARDWELL SECURE SYSTEMS, 2011. Registered Office: Brooke House, John Hyrne Way, Norwich, NR5 0AF.

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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

1. Why choose CCTV?

Securing business premises is a major concern in todays society with the cost of crime now standing at 12.6 billion as found by the British Chambers of Commerce. There are many ways to safeguard your premises, one of them being CCTV. However, when you are considering installing CCTV at your business premises you should consider what security measures are available, what security measure would be best for your business, as well as taking into account the legal aspects to it. Fundamentally, CCTV is not the solution to all your security concerns; it is part of an overall security solution. You need to consider all the following factors to be confident that you can obtain your desired outcome without the disappointment of having a very expensive but ineffective CCTV system. At the end of the day, a CCTV system is a deterrent, not a panacea.

With all CCTV systems, they take a little while to bed in and it is not unusual to find that once the system has been in for perhaps a month that you may need to consider repositioning your CCTV cameras, or adding extra CCTV cameras as you may have a blind spot. It may also be that light levels are not sufficient to give you quality images which are useable, and therefore you may need to increase light levels or invest in infra-red cameras. This may affect your budget. Also remember that not all people that will attempt to steal or damage your property are foolish some will keep their faces out of camera shot as they have checked out the site beforehand, or 3
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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

have a hood covering them. Early warning of perpetrators can be a significant advantage of having a CCTV system, but being able to respond with audio response, security patrols or police will be key. Generally speaking, you will want your CCTV system to have cameras that produce a high quality picture, which is then recorded and backed up. Later, this footage can be easily reviewed and stored. You want a system that is very user friendly, within your budget and covers all of your security concerns. A CCTV system that is simple to maintain and that will remain current for many years to come should also be high on your list of priorities. Ok, so lets crack on the technical points to consider about the CCTV cameras themselves will be in the appendix at the end.

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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

2. What is the purpose of CCTV?

Normally the purpose of having CCTV cameras is to protect against theft, trespass, vandalism, or to protect high value goods or high quantities of lower value goods. Recorded video footage of criminal activity can include shoplifting, vandalism, break-ins and hold ups. This is often the prime reason a business will install a CCTV system. Business owners also use it to catch customers who leave without paying; for example, at a petrol station or restaurant. Another purpose of CCTV may be to keep an eye on staff.

You can use CCTV as both a surveillance tool and as a method of identifying and prosecuting thieves. The best placement for your CCTV depends on what you want to gain from it. If you want to use CCTV to observe activity in your premises, it is best to place the cameras at a higher angle so as to view a wider area. This may overcome issues such as equipment obstructing views, etc. If you would like to use CCTV as a means of identifying criminals, then it is best to place the cameras at eye level as you are then more likely to get a clearer view of peoples faces. Detection based CCTV is better equipped to handle this, but the cost may be prohibitive.

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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

3. 15 Things that you need to know before purchasing CCTV?

1) Public access space and the Data Protection Act
Do you need a licence? The simple answer is yes; if you are reviewing data at any point then frankly it is worth registering, especially as this will be needed for keeping of personnel and customer data anyway. You can register here http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection/notification/notify.aspx - you will need to nominate and publicise an onsite data controller. Secondly, if you are reviewing the data internally as it stands currently, there is no requirement for your staff to be licenced under the Security Industry Authority (SIA). However, if you use outside contractors to monitor your CCTV systems, whether on your premises or remotely, they must be SIA licenced with Public Space Surveillance (CCTV) licences. This is required by them where the use of closed circuit television equipment is to: a. monitor the activities of a member of the public in a public or private place; or b. identify a particular person. This includes the use of CCTV to record images that are viewed on non-CCTV equipment, but excludes the use of CCTV solely to identify a trespasser or protect property. Also, sufficient signage needs to be displayed about the sign to warn people coming both on and off site, that they are being monitored with a contact number of the security company. This ensures that in the event of an activation, the attendees on site, whether they be police or a mobile security officer, know who to obtain footage from the system or enable them to remotely view the system, if this is possible.

2) Closed site/environment
The site/property to be protected by CCTV is it open to the public or can access be controlled? The simplest way to monitor CCTV is to have an enclosed site i.e. one that access can be controlled to and from the site and where there is no access to the public. This simplifies your security threats. On sites where the public have access, it is still possible to control areas of the site to ensure that CCTV can be monitored effectively and that you are not subject to numerous false activations. You could add perimeter fencing, for example, cost effectively to exclude the public from these areas and monitor this fenced area. Are there areas of the sites that are more exposed than others or are there high value goods stored there? You could consider protecting these areas only, with CCTV or by using other early warning systems, such as electronic perimeter intrusion detection systems or Redwall motion detection systems. 6
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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

If the site is very large, then use of wireless cameras can be considered to offset the cost of cabling, this will be proposed by whichever surveyor comes to view your site. Wherever possible, the engineers on site should attempt to use any spare capacity within existing data cabling infrastructure. On larger sites, the cost of cabling can be quite prohibitive and therefore the use of wireless cameras may be considered. Although some may feel like their business is more secure if their CCTV is hard-wired, there really is little difference in performance between wired and wireless CCTV cameras. However, one key area to consider in the use of wireless CCTV cameras is stability, as interference from other sources may affect the ability of the CCTV cameras to record. Similarly, sites with lots of metalwork can affect the ability of wireless functions to work effectively. Generally, wireless CCTV cameras tend to be recommended in more extreme circumstances

3) What happens if my CCTV activates? Do I need a response?

In the event of activation, your CCTV system monitor will switch to the relevant camera and, assuming it is set up correctly, show you 2-3 still images plus a live feed. As long as someone is situated in front of the monitor this will obviously cause no issues for you, as they will be able to identify the cause of the activation or send a colleague to the point of activation to determine the cause. But you may need to consider if this is both practical and avoids putting a colleague at risk of harm.

In the event of there being an intruder on site, you should immediately contact either your nominated security contractor or your local police for back up or assistance. They will require a key holder to meet them on site within 20 minutes to assist them with accessing the site. 7
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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

4) Out of hours coverage? In house monitoring vs. remote monitoring

In the previous scenario, it worked fine when someone was monitoring the system 24/7. The reality is that someone may be sat there Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. What happens out of hours? Or even, is it realistic to expect someone to monitor your CCTV effectively as part of their role and not a full time role? There are a number of solutions available: The activation could be sent electronically to your smartphone or home computer. Assuming you have mobile phone coverage, you can login to the remote CCTV software, so you can monitor your site, confirm the activation and contact the police, if necessary Your site can be monitored by a monitoring company and they will contact you or contact your security company in the event of activation (depending on your instructions). You/they can then go to site and confirm the activation, contacting the police as necessary if the monitoring company cant confirm a live activation. If the monitoring company confirms a live activation, they could issue an audio challenge if your system has that capability and they can contact your nominated security contractor and/or police on your behalf, who will need to meet with the keyholder at site within 20 minutes of activation Your site can be monitored by a security company and they will contact you, issue an audio challenge, if your system has that capability, or send out a mobile patrol vehicle (depending on your instructions) with the keys in the event of an activation; they can then confirm the activation and contact the police as necessary

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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

If you do not wish to pay someone a full-time wage to sit and view your cameras 24/7 you do have the option of outsourcing. This essentially means paying a separate security company a monthly or yearly fee to watch your security cameras. This is exceptionally useful if you do not have the means to hire an employee simply for this purpose, or would rather remove yourself from the hassle of doing so. A professionally hired company will know what theyre doing and therefore will not waste your time with false alarms, and they can even be instructed to send out the relevant response unit upon noticing any suspicious activity. Generally, if you are using an external security company to monitor your CCTV system, they will co-ordinate contact with all third party agencies, including the police, boarding up services, etc., and will send their mobile patrol with keys to site.

5) CCTV for void or empty properties

It is often considered by large organisations and councils that you can mothball a building by arranging to board up the building to prevent entry, whilst discussions over future use / sale of it are held. However, as a result of spiralling commodity prices, it appears that thieves are not being put off by such tactics alone. It is now not uncommon to find that thieves gain access by the secure boarded windows or doors and simply put them back in place, the building to the untrained eye appears to remain secure, whilst they go through the building preparing all materials to be cut to size before removing everything from site in literally an hour or two. Detection based CCTV can be used to remotely monitor a buildings activities. Thus if someone gains access to a building this will be detected and can be used to co-ordinate a response with any relevant third parties - power and either a GSM/GPRS card or broadband line will be required to enable this service. Alternatively remotely monitored alarms coupled with a response service from a security company can ensure the property remains secure, again power would be required. Or if there is no power to the site, another solution may be the use of random mobile patrols to check the integrity of just closed building as well as to ensure that there are no burst pipes, spillages or the like, as well as providing scheduled void property inspections.

6) Added benefits of CCTV

Some additional advantages of CCTV that can be considered are: Lone Worker providing protection/support for your staff when working alone on site Marketing tool customers have used CCTV to monitor customer numbers coming in and out of site Time Management having a backup system to allow you to verify staff & visitors coming on and offsite 9
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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

Health & Safety ability to review footage following any incidents to confirm causation, provide evidence, etc.

Similarly this can apply to Stock Management and Day to Day management matters.

7) Perimeter security is it adequate?

As well as lighting on site, you will need to consider perimeter security to further deter would-be thieves form your site, use of Heras and solid fencing is common place and integral to the integrity and security of your site. General good housekeeping is important as it will create an impression of a well maintained and efficient site where security is taken seriously. It is advisable to prune back trees and shrubs, especially if people can gain access to your site through them, or if they would make it easy for someone to hide.

8) What are the alternatives?

There are a number of alternatives to CCTV, namely having a physical security presence on site, such as a Security Officer or Security Officer and a dog to target hardening measures, such as grills and shutters. You can also utilise random mobile patrols throughout the times of site closure to ensure regular, but not permanent site coverage. It is always recommended that this is random as a regularly timed patrol is easy for a thief to plan their time of attack. Intruder alarms can be utilised in conjunction with a monitored alarm or RedCare systems, backed up by alarm response vehicles and/or the police. Obviously doing nothing is another option, which is not recommended, and potentially would put you at risk with your insurers in event of a theft. Note: It is worth discussing with your insurers any enhancements to your security arrangement as this may result in a discounted premium.

9) What CCTV wont give you

CCTV wont give you a conviction invariably most thieves are too smart to allow you to take a picture of their face full on or their vehicle number plate, but some will be caught through naivety. But, if the CCTV system is monitored, it will allow you to respond in the event of activation and increase the likelihood of either the capture of any thieves or reduced loss, due to being on site quickly.

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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

CCTV will not achieve full lock down of your site on its own, but must be seen as part of your overall security solution. A good security supplier will look at all the risks associated with your site and look to deliver the right solution that meets your specific needs.

10)

What can I afford?

The price of the CCTV system will be dependent on a number of factors; for example, size of the site, the number of CCTV cameras, lighting, etc., and on top of this you should expect two maintenance visits per annum. The initial cost of the solution is generally a capital cost. You need to be clear from the beginning with your supplier what your budget is, so that they can tailor their offerings appropriately. This initial outlay can be spread over a number of years and then effectively be an operating cost to the business, rather than a capital cost. The options open to you are either rental or leasing options, but this will allow the opportunity to increase your initial outlay by spreading the cost over a long period.

11)

When researching CCTV suppliers ask for referees

Take out maintenance cover and make sure the equipment is regularly serviced, minimum every 6 months. You could save yourself a lot of trouble and expense in the long run by entering into a maintenance plan. Even though CCTV equipment is highly reliable, it makes sense to ensure that you get the warranty certificate, just to be on the safe side, for your CCTV security system at the time of purchase. Over time, the CCTV cameras will need to be refocused, housings checked to ensure

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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

for the signs of leakage, and the system re-configured to ensure its accuracy. These activities and more will be carried out as part of the routine maintenance of the CCTV system.

12)

What areas do you want the CCTV cameras to cover?

It is often impractical to cover every nook and cranny in your business premises. Many people find that no matter how many CCTV cameras they seem to put in they still have blind spots in the CCTV system (areas of the premises which are not covered by cameras). What is best is to have a look at your essential areas. What are your areas of concern? Perhaps down the aisle of impulse items, or a toilet corridor, or even out the back where the staff are not supposed to be smoking. You will also want to cover your entrances and exits. Have a look at all these areas and think about the various places on the ceiling or wall that you could place a camera to cover each area. Consider if the CCTV camera will need to cover the front of a person or only the back of them.

13)

How long will the recorded videos be kept before it is deleted?

Generally the advice is to have a system that allows the capability to store 4 weeks of recorded footage, after that you should record and back up the data, and store the disks off site, which then gives you the ability to go in and review data going back several months to investigate issues e.g. injuries, criminal activity, etc.

14)

How user-friendly will the CCTV system need to be?

The simple answer is - as easy as possible. It doesnt matter how technical you happen to be, it just makes sense to have a CCTV system that a six year old could manage. Why on earth would you want something so complicated that you dont know what half the buttons do? Are you the only person who will need to access the system or are other people in your organisation required to access it? Keep this in mind when choosing your system.

15)

Will you need to access the CCTV system remotely?

There are two types of remote access. Onsite connection One is simply from another computer in your workplace an onsite connection. As long as all your computers are linked into the same Local Area Network (LAN) then it is quite straightforward accessing your security system from another computer. Offsite connection The other type of remote access is from another site an offsite connection, such as your home or even overseas. It is certainly possible to remotely access your digital security system from a remote location, but you will need to enquire about the complications associated with the system you buy, and whether you need to upgrade your broadband line for these remote locations e.g. home.

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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

4. Technical Jargon
CCTV Systems
There are basically two types of CCTV camera surveillance systems: 1. Stand Alone DVR System: Computer-based which runs proprietary operating systems designed to run only one application. 2. IP Network Camera System: Offering remote monitoring of Security Cameras; it is a system which gives users the ability to monitor and record video over an IP network (Local Area Network/Wide Area Network/Internet).

Number of Frames Per Second (FPS)

Frames per second refer to how many frames per second the camera captures. It is standard to have CCTV that captures 30 frames per second but you can get some cameras that will capture 120 frames per second. However, your storage capacity for recording that amount of data must be substantial and if you are only wishing to catch perpetrators then 1-6 frames per second will be enough.

CCTV camera resolution

Do you need clear, accurate images? The higher the camera resolution, the better quality image youll get. Cameras of over 540 TVL (TV lines) are considered to be of high-resolution, though they will cost more than the lower resolution cameras. TVL - the resolution is the quality of definition and clarity of a picture and is defined in lines. More lines = higher resolution, which means a better picture quality.

The resolution depends on the amount of pixels (picture elements) in the CCD chip. If a camera manufacturer can put in more number of pixels in the same size CCD chip, that camera will have a higher resolution. In other words the resolution is directly proportional to the number of pixels in the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) chip.

Monitor resolution
Select a monitor that matches the resolution of your camera. You should not mix resolution: if you have a high resolution camera, choose a high resolution recorder and monitor.

LUX
Lux is the measurement for light sensitivity. As mentioned before, the lighting in your premises will greatly affect the quality of the image that CCTV cameras produce. Light is measured in LUX and over the page is a table detailing what each gradient means so that you can make an informed choice

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GARDWELL SECURE SYSTEMS Illuminance 0.00005 LUX <1 LUX 10 LUX 400 LUX 1000 LUX 32000 LUX 100000 LUX

15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

Example Starlight Moonlight Candle at a distance of 30cm Sunrise or sunset on a clear day / a brightly lit office Typical TV Studio Lighting Sunlight on an average day (min) Sunlight on an average day (max)

A sensitivity of 0.5 lux would indicate a CCTV camera can distinguish images in low light, for instance: outdoors with dim lighting. A 2 lux would indicate a camera can see fairly well by the light of a 40-watt fluorescent bulb.

HDD Capacity
The camera data is stored on a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). This data gets recycled at specific times in the cycle. The higher the memory, the longer the DVR will store the data.

Motion Sensors and Thermal Sensors

Some cameras have motion sensors or thermal imaging capabilities. Thus, they begin recording when something moves or is emitting heat (such as people).

Signal to Noise Ratio (S/N)

Signal to Noise Ratio indicates how much signal or actual picture information, the camera transmits, as opposed to how much noise it is receiving. (Noise comes across as static.) A S/N of 40db indicates that the signal is 100 times the noise. This indicates an acceptable picture with some fine grain or snow. 30db would indicate a poor picture, and 60db produces an excellent picture with no static visible. Not just the camera produces noise; other components can contribute to noise as well.

Lenses
You can have fixed or vari-focal lenses for your camera. Much like glasses, your fixed lenses are fixed. However, vari-focal lenses can zoom in and out on objects making it much easier to survey a large area and only zoom in when activity of a suspicious nature occurs. There are also different types of iris lenses to choose from. It is advisable to have a camera where the iris can change size due to the fact that if it gets too bright then so does your camera picture, obscuring its effectiveness. Therefore if you are going to spend money installing CCTV, you should steer clear of fixed iris lenses. Your other options are manual and auto iris lenses. Manual iris lenses obviously have to controlled by someone so unless you are planning on outsourcing the monitoring of your CCTV or hiring someone in-house to monitor it, it would be best to invest in auto iris lenses as they change their size dependant on the brightness without any need for manual involvement. 14
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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

The lenses you purchase should match the format of your camera: 1/4 lenses work best with 1/4 cameras. Some cameras also pan, tilt, rotate, and scan. The more features and functions the cameras have, the more costly they will be. For outdoor activity, you may want to consider an automatic iris.

Digital Video Recorder (DVR)

To record and store a lot of data, youll need a large hard drive. A 500 gigabyte (GB) hard drive will store about 14 days of full-motion video from one camera. It is unlikely youll be storing that much full motion, as usually there is low-quantity motion. A 1 terabyte (TB) is a better investment and you can expand the hard drive units by adding to them.

CAT5 Cable or Wireless?

Systems can be set up using coaxial cable or CAT5 cabling, or you can consider a wireless system. Large corporations, banks, casinos and such often use fibre optics. Wireless systems can run into problems, such as interference.

Installation, Demonstrations, References, Recommendations

Check out several companies thoroughly. Ask about installation fees, a demonstration of the CCTV system, references, and recommendations based on your needs. Ask about success and failure rates of the CCTV systems and what can potentially go wrong with a system. What happens when the power goes out? How does it perform in bad weather? What the warranties for the various components? Ask about maintenance, support and call out fees too.

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15 Things That You Need To Know Before Purchasing CCTV

5. About Gardwell Secure Systems

Gardwell Secure Systems, part of the GSL Dardan Group, has a trading history that dates back to 1996. The company was originally founded in Great Yarmouth to help secure the properties and assets of companies created during the boom years of the offshore gas industry. Quickly establishing itself as a leading provider of security services across East Anglia, Gardwell Secure Systems specialises in the design, installation, maintenance, servicing, and support of CCTV, access control systems, and intruder alarm systems in industries including the energy, aviation, manufacturing, finance, retail, transportation, and logistics sectors. Our highly trained staff are involved in all aspects of the project; from the initial design through to the installation of security equipment, implementation of security strategies, and training of operators and site managers. We have complete confidence in our ability to deliver the right security services for your business, and consolidate our position as the largest independent provider of quality security systems across East Anglia.

Contact Gardwell Secure Systems:

Registered office address: Brooke House, John Hyrne Way, Longwater Business Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR5 0AF Head office address: Endeavour House, Admiralty Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 3NG Telephone: (01493) 742020 Fax: (01493) 742019 Email: info@gardwellsecuresystems.co.uk Web: www.gardwellsecuresystems.co.uk

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