Protect your property – install CCTV

If you want to step up your home security or protect your business around the clock, then installing a CCTV camera is the answer. CCTV acts as a major deterrent to thieves, provides you with peace of mind and could capture evidence of criminal activity.

Installing CCTV will make
your property safer
by deterring criminals
C: Wili Hybrid on Flickr

According to the CCTV User Group, there are an estimated 1.5 million CCTV cameras in the UK. These cameras are fixed in hospitals, universities, city centres, train and bus stations, at business premises, homes and airports. Wherever they are placed, CCTV cameras provide security by monitoring, preventing and recording criminal activity which can be used in Court.

Alvin Lewis, from CSG Fire and Security in Bournemouth says: “There has always been a small market for CCTV cameras but now the price of them has come down, more homeowners are getting them.” He adds: “A lot of people are concerned about intruders coming in the back garden and trying to gain entrance to their property or they want to protect their car on the driveway. One client even had eight cameras put up around his fishpond so that no one would steal his fish.”

Lee Oldaker, from Twenty4Seven Security Ltd in Hereford agrees that home CCTV has become popular. “In the last year the amount of homeowners buying CCTV to protect their driveways and cars, for example, has really increased. I’d say it’s about 50/50 homeowners and businesses now,” he comments.

The benefits of Installing CCTV

Installing CCTV in your property brings with it many benefits, as Alvin explains: “If a criminal sees that you have cameras, they are more likely to avoid your property and attack someone who doesn’t and people are less likely to shoplift if there are cameras. As evidence, CCTV can also be invaluable if set up correctly to get a good picture of someone’s face.”

Types of CCTV

A CCTV installation company can help you
decide which system suits your property
C: Mads Boedker on Flickr

 

There are such a wide variety of cameras available that it can be difficult to know what to go for. Standard cameras will normally record in colour during daylight hours and switch to black and white or infrared in the dark. Digital recorders have replaced VCR now, which means that footage is stored straight onto the hard drive of your computer and can even be accessed from the internet or your mobile phone.

Alvin says: “There are a variety of CCTV cameras available – you get your bog standard ones for the corner shop through to your 360 degree cameras with a zoom lens in city centres and thermal cameras which might be used in helicopters for instance.”

Most CCTV companies will offer a free consultation to help you decide what kind of camera to go for, taking into account your personal needs. “We would recommend what kind of camera the clients need depending on what area of the property they want to monitor, if they want a narrow or a wide view and what kind of clarity they want,” explains Lee.

Under the Data Protection Act,
you must display signs if you are
using CCTV in commercial premises
C: Subcircle on Flickr

 CCTV and the law

If you install CCTV it is important to adhere to the 1998 Data Protection Act. This doesn’t affect cameras installed in private homes as long as they are not invading anyone else’s privacy or pointing onto a public space. Under the Act, if you are filmed by a CCTV camera in a public space, you have a right to request the footage.

Alvin explains: “The Data Protection Act isn’t too much of a problem if you’re installing CCTV cameras on private land...but you have to protect people’s privacy - you can’t have a camera facing into someone else’s garden. We can mask the picture if, for example, the camera pans round to face a block of flats.”

Most CCTV companies will advise you on what legal factors you need to take account; for use in public space or commercial premises there are rules you have to follow, including having to register the camera with the local authority and put up signs informing people that CCTV is present.

Cost

The cost of installing CCTV can range from a couple of hundred pounds for a basic model to £14,000 for state of the art thermal cameras. Price also depends on the number of cameras you want and where you are installing it, so you should consult a CCTV company who will provide you with a quote. CCTV specialist Alvin says: “The price varies; we have just installed 8 cameras in a nursery which cost around £3,500, but it depends on the camera type. The cost of installation will also vary depending on how far we have to run cables.”

AB