What are the benefits of CCTV?

[Gembo 0]

OK, ive read a fair bit on here and Im tempted to spend around 6-700gbp on a residential system but before i do i was wondering........

Im worried that should the worsed happen, all Il see from my DVR monitor is a hooded theif carrying out his raid with no real evidence or face detail to nail him??

Theres obviously a good detterant factor with CCTV but does it actualy help in conviction of theiving scum these days?

[themerchant 0]

you need to install the DVR and cabling professionally. if you hide as much of the cable as possible and install the DVR in a good spot then you will be better off. the thief doesnt want to spend much time there....

[Kablooie 0]

....does it actualy help in conviction of theiving scum these days?

Sometimes. It all depends what is caught on video. Sometimes the theif can leave something behind like fingerprints & shoeprints. The police I've worked with watch the video very closely to see if they can gather any type of evidence at all. They're also looking for height, weight, body type, mannerisms, etc. So, even if a direct shot of the persons face isn't available the video can still be useful.

 

One thing I find is that a good monitored alarm system is great. It should also be a sounded alarm. Usually the burglar is in & out within a minute (or two) which limits what they can steal and the amount of damage done.

[Gembo 0]

Thanks for that, a ballanced veiw point, taken on board........

I do have a good alarm system so CCTV is the next logical step.

[danger_e 0]

It might also be a good idea to consult with a local law enforcement professional and ask what it takes for your video to be admissible in court. I know that there are some jurisdictions that have specific rules regarding video evidence.

[Kablooie 0]

Video saved the day for a client of mine from having to pay unemployment benefits to an ex-employee who was caught stealing.

 

About 2 months ago I helped a client identify an employee who was stealing in his store. The employee was not ringing up sales and pocketing the money. The employee was fired and the video evidence saved to disc.

 

A couple of weeks ago the employee filed for unemployment benefits. She said in her claim that is was a problem with the register and, essentially, that she was fired due to no cause of her own. A phone hearing was scheduled for today. During the first couple of minutes my client asked the unemployment representative "Did you receive the evidence DVD I sent you?" The reply was yes. Then the rep started to address Ms. Smith (not her real name). Ms. Smith did not respond. "Ms. Smith, are you there? Ms. Smith?" Well, when Ms. Smith heard there was video evidence she disconnected from the call. Attempts by the unemployment rep to call her back were unsuccessful, so the rep had no choice but to dismiss the claim. Justice was served.

[Henry-f 0]

I think the deterrent factor is huge with well sourced and positioned Home CCTV system. If it stops you getting burgled then it's done it's job!

 

Monitored alarms are useful but in the main a thief is in and out of a property quite quickly before anyone arrives to apprehend them. I think the average time is around 2 minutes or so. Certainly not the 10 or 15 minutes it might take for the cavalry to arrive.

 

Consider fitting some overt cameras and some more covert cameras where you might catch the thief unaware. We sell a cctv camera that looks just like a PIR detector and it has achieved some spectacular results in the past. On the best ones was a gang of "rogue traders" who were scamming people out of money for uncompleted, shoddy or un-necessary work. The unit has audio as well and watching the footage back you almost felt sorry for the blokes as they dug themselves further in a hole (it's a shame they didn't show the same commitment when digging the holes they were supposed to be paid for !!).

 

A thief needs to keep a low profile. As such they take the path of least resistance and go for the softest targets where they are least likely to get caught or identified. They aren't always stupid though and know the difference between good and bad security products. If you fit professional equipment you are doing as much as you can to protect yourself. Certainly your budget allows you to fit a good quality CCTV system.

 

Good luck.

 

Henry

[rory 0]

Monitored alarms are useful but in the main a thief is in and out of a property quite quickly before anyone arrives to apprehend them. I think the average time is around 2 minutes or so. Certainly not the 10 or 15 minutes it might take for the cavalry to arrive.

I stopped doing burglar alarms after 6 years of it to go into CCTV, as I just felt alarms were not doing the job. I mean my main cause for entry into the inudustry was not for a deterrent though, it was like this and as bad as it might sound Ive seen it happen too much here, but basically If someone kills me then i would at least want it to be video recorded which will stand more chance of the suspect being captured and paying the price as well as not to be able to do it to anyone else again. Too many times the cops come too late, after the fact. Although with a well placed alarm system such as beams around the yard, along with cameras, and ofcourse weapons, perhaps even a phone with the cops on speed dial (like to come pick up the criminal's body afterwards), then they all work together brilliantly.

[Henry-f 0]

From a personal point of view as an end user I also find monitored alarms a nuisance in terms of false triggers when you trigger the thing off yourself as you are rushing out somewhere. There follows the usual "I can't remember my password" (how many passwords do you need these days for banks, alarms, even forums like this!!), before you get issued the cancel code to make everything happy again.

 

I think it's stressful knowing that a couple of false triggers and you will be removed from the police response programme. There is also the worry of an alarm sounding after a false trigger when you are away for the weekend or your holidays, and if a spider's going to get in somewhere trust me, they always wait until you're actually on the cruise ship, as does the boiler when it decides to break down !!

 

For me the wonderful thing about CCTV is that it doesn't just alert you to the fact something is wrong - which it can do and even send you a photo of what triggered the event, but it captures the whole event so you can do something about it. It's silent so neighbours aren't going to hate you at 2.00am and you are in total control. You aren't reliant on a third party to do anything.

 

There will always be a delay in responding to an alarm trigger. There has to be because the monitoring station has to make at least one confirmation phone call. They then need to contact the police who in turn contact the local officers who in turn need to drop what they are doing and get over to the event. If all you need is 2 minutes (and have a go yourself to see what you could grab in 120 seconds with no care for how much damage you do to the house) then you'd be unlucky to get caught.

 

Henry