Your home is far more than your abode, it is a place where you feel safe. Your home is a place where you keep precious memories, and where you know your loved ones will always be secure. This should always be the case.
Crime and criminals are influenced by a variety of reasons, stemming from financial desperation, social inequality, lack of education, poor law enforcement infrastructure, and many other reasons. Some factors can be changed, others are simply part of the world we live in. Whether you are a homeowner, landlord, real estate agent, or security expert, it is common knowledge that deterrence is the most effective measure to counter crime.
The best way to deter crime, fight crime, record criminal actions, and take corrective actions is to be able to see the crime happen. Installing high-end cameras is part of the solution, however, the key is ensuring that the feed from your cameras is monitored properly. Residential security has never been important. Let’s understand why it is important and how to work towards the prevention of crime.
Residential Crime Around the World
Over two and a half million burglaries occur annually, causing a loss of over $3.4 billion in personal property. In the EU, 2022 saw a rise in crimes against property by 17.9%, robberies rose by 9.7% and burglaries increased by 7.4%. Spain, Romania, Italy, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom have the lowest peace scores in Europe. This reflects high crime rates in these regions.
In America, the FBI reported over 899,000 cases in the same year. Property victimization is over ten per thousand households. The average loss from burglaries in a residence was over $97,000, and nearly half the burglaries happen during the day.
Globally, Venezuela and Papua New Guinea are allegedly the least safe countries, they have the highest crime rates. The US ranks at 58, the UK at 68 and Canada at 78. On the surface the rankings of the Western countries may suggest safety, however, the value of the loss is inevitably higher.
Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Andorra are considered the safest countries in the world, they have the lowest recorded crime rates.
How can CCTV Monitoring Help Protect Your Sanctuary?
These statistics may cause some alarm, however, there is no need to panic. Strategic installation of CCTV cameras and effective monitoring directly deter crime by 50%. In addition, CCTV has a direct impact on drug-related crime in neighborhoods, reducing it by 20%. According to Research Gate, the highest impact has been seen in car parks and residential areas, where active monitoring has been far more effective, allowing for timely interventions. These numbers are taken from a study that collated data over 40 years.
What do You Need for Effective CCTV Monitoring?
Let’s look at how you can make your residential properties secure:
- Install CCTV cameras strategically, ensuring adequate overlap.
- Ensure well-lit surroundings or cameras that work well in low to no light.
- Install a robust CCTV system.
- Ensure most of your cameras are visible to potential criminals.
- Ensure cables and wires are hidden and not easy to access. Use high-quality cables and wires. Wireless cameras may be a viable option.
- Understand your equipment, its capabilities, and limitations.
- Ensure you have adequate storage to ensure evidence is available.
- Make sure your cameras have detection equipment such as infrared.
- Conduct regular maintenance of systems and cameras.
- Run a daily or weekly checklist.
- Ensure you can add cameras as and when required.
- Ensure access to remote monitoring on all the devices you use.
- Integrate your fire, safety, camera, and other systems.
- Outsource monitoring and intervention activities to professional agencies.
- Ensure 24/7 CCTV monitoring.
- Collect regular event reports from the CCTV monitoring agency.
How does Effective CCTV Monitoring Work?
Trained security professionals monitor an array of systems, including fire alarms, CCTV, and access control systems. These operatives monitor the feed every minute of every day. They work on short rotational shifts to ensure that they are always alert.
In the event they spot trespassers, accidents, intruders, fires, or other events, they will inform you, authorities, or other qualified personnel and ask them to intervene quickly to prevent loss.
There are a couple of ways in which the team operates:
- An event alert is triggered.
- A signal is sent to the monitoring team.
- The team analyzes the situation.
- Event severity is considered.
- False alarms are ruled out.
- Intervention personnel are informed.
- A comprehensive report is prepared after collecting evidence and shared along with recorded evidence of the event.
Another scenario is as follows:
- Security personnel notice an event, such as an intruder.
- They analyze the situation and threat.
- Information is sent to the client and intervention personnel if required.
- A comprehensive report is prepared and shared along with recorded evidence of the event.
In addition to event specific actions, monitoring teams also send reports about camera placement, offer suggestions to change locations, advise on maintenance and repair requirements and suggest upgrades.
What are the Benefits of CCTV Monitoring Services?
The most obvious answer is that your home and your family are safer when you use video surveillance services. If you are an agency that installs cameras or intervenes in such situations, you can take proactive actions. Here are a few more benefits:
- Enhanced Surveillance
- Prevention of Crime
- Collecting Evidence
- Quick Alarm Monitoring
- Quick Response Time
- Guarding Against False Narratives
- Real-time Threat Detection
- Uninterrupted 24/7 Monitoring
- Proactive Security Measures
- Remote Access and Control
- Reduced false alarms
- Quick response to incidents
- Lower Home Insurance Premiums
What’s Next?
The next step is to contact CCTV surveillance experts like Flatworld Philippines. They will run a comprehensive analysis of your requirements, whether you are installing a new system or upgrading an older one. Once that is done, you will get a clear idea of what to expect, you can choose what services you need and then they will work around the clock to keep your home safe.
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