Security Oxford

The number of council-operated CCTV cameras in the UK has nearly trebled in the last decade, yet opinion is divided as to the effectiveness of CCTV in reducing crime.

While many believe that cameras are an essential tool in both deterring and identifying criminals, others argue that the quality of CCTV footage is often poor and unusable or that the cameras themselves are frequently out of operation.

Poor image quality is often cited as the reason why CCTV images cannot be relied upon to identify criminals or to be used as evidence in Court. However, the police clearly value these images and use them to help reconstruct events, identify offenders and make high profile calls for public support.

Accessibility of camera images

 Another important factor is the accessibility of these images, as they frequently need to be shared with colleagues, or sometimes the police. IP-based network cameras provide an easy way to capture and distribute high quality video. The video can be stored at remote locations for convenience and security, and then distributed to multiple locations with no loss of image quality.

An IP-based network camera delivers high quality, high resolution images, allowing users to clearly capture an incident in progress and identify persons or objects involved. With a megapixel or HDTV network camera, the resolution is at least three times better than that rendered by an analogue camera. These cameras are particularly useful for demanding situations where people or objects in a scene need to be clearly identified.

However, no matter how clear and easy to share captured images may be, it’s vital that the cameras are well maintained and managed.

Bad press, poor reputation… and it’s unnecessary

 A recent incident in Teeside – where a vicious attack on a man was not captured on CCTV due to a technical fault with the cameras – is an example of how surveillance can receive bad press and realise a poor reputation due to the mismanagement of equipment.

Situations like this can be avoided as modern video management software will send an alert to the operator as soon as a camera stops operating, whether this is due to a technical fault or the camera having been tampered with at some point.

Critics of public sector spend on CCTV may often complain about a ‘Surveillance State’ or that Big Brother is watching us, but there’s no question that a well-managed, fully-functioning surveillance system will help create a safer environment for us all.