Author Archives: tensor_cctvsurveillance

  1. Big Brother Strikes Fear

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    In the land that gave birth to "Big Brother", the future has caught up with a present in which drunks, hoodlums, litterbugs and other wrongdoers are being yelled at and lectured to – as well as watched – from lampposts.

    Britain has 4.2 million surveillance cameras – a fifth of the world’s total – hanging off its infrastructure, and loudspeakers with microphones are being fitted to them in a government attempt to strike more fear into the hearts of miscreants.

    In the northeast England city of Middlesbrough, disembodied voices bark out orders to "pick up that cigarette butt" or "put that candy wrapper in the bin," shocking people caught on camera in the act of crossing to the wrong side of the law.

    Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government is spending nearly $1 million to link microphones and loudspeakers to its vast network of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras as part of its "Respect" offensive to try to control the burgeoning anti-social behavior that plagues the nation’s cities, towns and villages.

    It works like this: When a CCTV camera spots someone breaking a window, say, or tossing a crumpled cigarette package to the sidewalk, the deed is monitored by local government officials based in control rooms who then bark a warning to the erring party to clean up their act, or else.

    A dozen talking cameras have gone into service in Middlesbrough, and the Home Office – Britain’s interior department – is ecstatic.

    Over past few weeks alone, it said, "fights have been broken up, litterers have sheepishly picked up their rubbish, and skateboarders have stopped rolling through traffic when told to do so" by the nearest loudspeaker.

    In dealing with litterbugs, says Middlesbrough Council security manager Jack Bonnar, the talking cameras have "proven to be a 100 percent success." Drunkenness and fighting are more difficult to address, he said, but even then, "the speakers are coming into their own, and we’re recording about a 65 percent to 70 percent success rate for those kinds of offenses."

    Officials said a verbal warning suffices most of the time. If it doesn’t, the videotape from the camera becomes evidence for arrest and prosecution.

    So pleased is the government with the results of the Middlesbrough experiment that it will hang loudspeakers and microphones to CCTV cameras in another 20 designated trouble spots across the nation in the next few months.

  2. Selecting the DVR Features You Need

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    Selecting the right system can be difficult for people who aren’t familiar with security camera installs. This can be due to the fact that every type of CCTV user has different needs and requirements.

    These can be broken up e.g. the needs of a home user are different to the needs of a retails store. Basic requirements for all users of DVR systems are Triplex, the ability to back it up, strong technical support, and ease of playback.

    Triplex DVR’s can record, backup and view live video all at the same time. Anytime you have to stop recording to view playback, you run the risk of something happening while the system is down. You also run the risk of a user leaving the system in a non-recording mode when they finish with it.

    Backing up the video incase of an incident can be helpful if an incident occurs where police need to watch the footage to identify thieves. CCTV systems can also be useful in other legal matters or personal injury lawsuits because making a CD of an event could stop a costly lawsuit before it began.

    Ease of playback has to be strongly considered. The reason tape systems are fading out is that trying to wade through days of footage to find an incident would take hours.

    Strong technical support is very important. If the system isn’t working properly then there’s no protection. You trust the system to protect you therefore you need a company that will stand behind its products. You want to work with a company that is local to you or has strong support e.g. buying a cheap DVR from China might save a few pounds now but cost a lot more in the long run.

    These are the very basics that all users should be looking for. If your system doesn’t meet these requirements it’s not going to help you very much.

    For further information on DVR systems specific for your CCTV requirements, do not hesitate to contact us.

  3. Selecting the DVR Features You Need

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    Selecting the right system can be difficult for people who aren’t familiar with security camera installs. This can be due to the fact that every type of CCTV user has different needs and requirements.

    These can be broken up e.g. the needs of a home user are different to the needs of a retails store. Basic requirements for all users of DVR systems are Triplex, the ability to back it up, strong technical support, and ease of playback.

    Triplex DVR’s can record, backup and view live video all at the same time. Anytime you have to stop recording to view playback, you run the risk of something happening while the system is down. You also run the risk of a user leaving the system in a non-recording mode when they finish with it.

    Backing up the video incase of an incident can be helpful if an incident occurs where police need to watch the footage to identify thieves. CCTV systems can also be useful in other legal matters or personal injury lawsuits because making a CD of an event could stop a costly lawsuit before it began.

    Ease of playback has to be strongly considered. The reason tape systems are fading out is that trying to wade through days of footage to find an incident would take hours.

    Strong technical support is very important. If the system isn’t working properly then there’s no protection. You trust the system to protect you therefore you need a company that will stand behind its products. You want to work with a company that is local to you or has strong support e.g. buying a cheap DVR from China might save a few pounds now but cost a lot more in the long run.

    These are the very basics that all users should be looking for. If your system doesn’t meet these requirements it’s not going to help you very much.

    For further information on DVR systems specific for your CCTV requirements, do not hesitate to contact us.

  4. What Is A Video Server?

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    Converting your existing CCTV system into an IP network video system has become a reality largely thanks to the introduction of Video Servers.

    A Video Server is a device that converts a signal from an analog CCTV camera into digital format, which is similar to IP network cameras. You can plug the server into your computer network, which allows you to record relevant video to a network device such as a PC or NAS (Network Attached Storage).

    A Video Server can also be connected to the Internet allowing you to view live video from anywhere in the world and even record video to a remote video location.

    Video Servers can run independently without using a PC as they have a built in web server. Some Video Servers can detect unwanted motion or track objects as they have a built-in motion detection or Video Analytics.

    Video Analytics are being integrated into Video Servers allowing the Video Server to have smart motion detection, object tracking and object recognition. This allows the Video Server to monitor your CCTV cameras for you and you will be notified immediately if unwanted perpetrators or objects are found where they should not be.

    Most Video Servers offer a Video-Output Jack. This allows you to integrate the Video Server into your existing CCTV surveillance system and also convert the signal from each camera to a digital signal. In doing this you can still view and record video on television but also view and record on your PC. Some Video Servers include Audio–in which allows you to record audio as well.

    Although Video Servers have been around for years they are not at their full potential. Should you wish to upgrade your current surveillance system then it is highly suggested to integrate Video Servers into your current system or by upgrading your system to IP Network Cameras.

    The price of a Video Server starts from around £50 and can cost thousands if you want specific features. They are becoming rapidly available from a wide range of manufacturers.

  5. CCTV Sector Thriving

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    The results of a British Security Industry Association research initiative have revealed that business for the CCTV sector has increased for the second year running. The research covered the BSIA’s CCTV section members and was undertaken to find out more about the current state of the sector.

    The figures show a thriving CCTV sector with 85% of respondents stating that their business had increased over the past twelve months and 15% asserting that business had remained the same. This confirms the growth which was predicted in the same piece of research in 2005. Significantly, 85% of respondents are once more predicting a business increase over the next year.

    "The continued growth of the sector is testament to the essential role that CCTV is playing in modern society," says BSIA CCTV Section Chairman, Pauline Norstrom. "CCTV is becoming a key security solution for the police, public sector and commercial organisations. Since the London bombings of July 2005, 45% of respondents have received more requests for new or updated CCTV systems. I hope that CCTV can continue to make an important contribution to the fight against crime and terrorism."

    The research showed a slight change in emphasis amongst the three top sectors of digital CCTV sales by value. The 2006 research sees town centre management schemes as the top sector (32%), followed by leisure/arts facilities (17%) and transport (14%). In 2005 the top three sectors were: leisure/arts facilities, retail and then transport.

    Awareness of and compliance with standards is another encouraging area. 90% of respondents are very aware or reasonably aware of the new BSIA Digital Video Evidence Code of Practice, which has been prepared to assist companies and organisations in the specification, selection, installation and operation of DVR equipment, and systems, for the purpose of CCTV images to be used as evidence in a court of law.

    The BSIA’s research also revealed that 95% of respondents are either very aware or reasonably aware of the British Standard for detector-activated, remotely monitored CCTV – BS 8418, with 80% complying with the standard.

  6. Securing Employee Safety

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    British employment laws do not prohibit employers from installing CCTV cameras in every nook and cranny of an office to monitor employees. The only protection from intrusion of privacy comes from the Data Protection Act, which sets limits to the recording of material filmed on CCTV.

    But the actual monitoring of CCTV at the workplace does not fall under the scope of the data protection law, which means the surveillance of employees is perfectly legal as long as cameras are not installed in restrooms or canteens, and that employees are informed they are being filmed.

    Whenever the material captured on digital CCTV is recorded and stored, then it is considered as personal data which cannot be stored indefinitely. The recordings can only be used for security or the other administrative purposes, for which the cameras were installed.

    "In places like banks, casinos, department stores and other establishments, it is common practice to have such systems in place. Indeed these systems may serve to protect the employees themselves," reported a data protection commissioner.

    Normally the recordings cannot be kept for more than seven days.

    In addition to the use of digital CCTV to monitor employees, in certain circumstances work email is also monitored. Since the use of the computer on the place of work is for business purposes, it’s up to the employer to decide whether an e-mail may be used for personal reasons.

    Although the employer may not be precluded from viewing these emails, as a general rule the employer should not be looking into e-mail and other content in the worker’s PC. However, monitoring may be justified in exceptional cases, such as the use of e-mail for irregular activities by an employee, protection from viruses and in order to maintain correspondence when an employee is out of office.

    In conclusion, if your employer has installed digital CCTV in your workplace, it is likely that it is there for your protection, and the only ones to worry about its presence are those that have something to hide.

  7. Britain After Dark

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    Britons are far more in favour of closed circuit television (CCTV) to fight street crime as opposed to motoring offences, an ntl:Telewest Business survey carried out by YouGov revealed.

    With one CCTV camera for every 14 people in the UK, Britons are caught on camera at least once every five minutes. Nevertheless, the majority (88 per cent) of the population are happy for CCTV to be used to fight crime.

    However, people are more ambivalent when it comes to using CCTV to catch drivers committing motoring offences. 58 per cent were in favour of monitoring car tax evaders, whilst 54 per cent lent their support to its use against speeding offenders.

    A gender gap is in evidence as more women than men are supportive of CCTV use on the roads. 82 per cent of women believed it should be used to help catch drunk drivers, in comparison with 74 per cent of men. Following the introduction of 24 hour drinking laws, more people than ever are making their way home after dark and the importance of security monitoring has risen accordingly.

    Advances in security monitoring such as CCTV over the internet (IPCCTV) aids the authorities by introducing real-time policing. High-resolution images and video can be sent directly to devices in patrol cars and to officers on the beat helping them to react to incidents more quickly.

    Another application of IPCCTV, automated number plate recognition (ANPR), triggers an alert whenever a stolen or wanted car is spotted on the road. Information on the vehicle and alleged offence are sent instantaneously to a police monitoring centre or motorway patrols, allowing for a fast apprehension of suspects.

    "ANPR is not, nor has any connection with, speed enforcement as often has been reported," said Inspector Andrew Hamilton, head of ANPR unit, Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. "Contrary to popular belief, ANPR is never used to monitor speeding cars. It is about targeting and denying criminals the use of the roads, leaving law-abiding citizens to go about their business."

    While Britons are quite happy for digital CCTV to be used to prevent car related crimes such as car theft, driving offences are much lower on their priority list. Eighty two per cent of respondents said CCTV should be used for tracking stolen cars, but only 30 per cent supported its use in enforcing the Congestion Charge.

    In addition:

    • 76 per cent of respondents believed CCTV should be used to find missing people
    • 70 per cent were in favour of using it for crowd control
    • 79 per cent would employ it to prevent shoplifting
    • 70 per cent – to track drivers leaving petrol stations without paying

    The Britain After Dark study, commissioned by ntl:Telewest Business, polled more than 2,000 UK residents about their opinions on CCTV.

  8. Upgrade Or Replace 2

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    Having discussed the functionality aspect of your CCTV security system, we will now look into the remaining two factors you should take into account when deciding whether to upgrade or replace.

    Identifying Essential Features

    While your system may be working well and have sufficient capability for expansion, it may be lacking features that are needed to effectively run your department. This can range from remote access to video files and system control, to fault tolerance for recorded images and data.

    You will also need to look into whether or not you require your CCTV system to perform tasks that your current product simply doesn’t allow. For example, if you are looking to allow limited access to your CCTV system during the peak holiday season to measure the length of the Santa line or find the car park with the most available spaces.

    Even if your system does allow limited access, you may find that you are not not compliant with all government regulations, including some that are only on the drawing board.

    In these cases, expansion or repair is usually not an option: replacement of the system, or at least a portion of the system, is required to achieve the desired results.

    One caution comes to mind: security systems are very much “utility” type products. They were purchased to perform a specific task and, in many cases, they are still doing so reliably and effectively. If your needs haven’t changed, and reliability is not an issue, beware of rushing in to upgrade software or firmware simply because the manufacturer now offers a newer version.

    The old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” comes to mind, and the problem the manufacturer is solving may not apply in your application. They may have released a new version to solve one bug, but do you really want to be the one to discover the new bugs?

    The Future May Hold the Answer

    The final reason for performing the upgrade or replace analysis is to determine whether your CCTV systems can be expanded to the capacity you will need, and whether or not it will be cost effective to do so. Both sides of this question are equally important.

    Often systems can be expanded, but if this pushes you up against the system maximums, the next round might not be possible. If that is the case, you may want to skip this expansion and replace the head-end with one that has more headroom.

    In other cases, expansion of older systems is not cost effective. The older architecture may be expensive to incrementally scale, while a new system can offer greater capacity for less than expanding the old one. This is particularly true with older video matrix switches and some access control systems.

    Look to preserve as much of the existing infrastructure as possible when making this decision. The cost of the head-end may not be prohibitive. However, any savings may be negated if all new cabling or other accessory devices are required. Manufacturers are moving more and more toward platform interoperability. You should be able to reuse a portion of your existing system or replace it in a later budget cycle.

    Case in point: One CCTV system we are working with has called for a complete replacement. While we would like this to include everything, including eliminating oversized fixed camera housings and mounts in favour of sleek, miniaturised fixed dome cameras, the image quality is remarkably good, particularly the black-and-white cameras. So, we’ve decided to defer that portion of the system replacement to another year, focusing instead on upgrading system control and adding digital recording.

  9. Upgrade Or Replace

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    With technology rapidly advancing in the develoment of CCTV security systems, the debate over whether or not to maintain, upgrade or replace aging electronic security systems rages on. Should you maintain the status quo by performing maintenance and repairs? Upgrade a system (or portions thereof)? Or just chuck it all and replace it?

    This is not simply a technical question. For many it encompasses all areas of a security operation and requires consideration of a number of factors.

    This article is not about building or adding on to a system. Instead, it discusses the three most important factors that you should consider when making a decision on the future of your CCTV security system:

    • Functionality – is everything working as required?
    • Features – does your operation require specific features?
    • Future – does your system have the capacity to grow to accomodate future needs?

    Functionality

    Systems that are not functioning properly may be unreliable or of insufficient quality for the application. This includes:

    • Poor image quality on CCTV footage;
    • Dated export software, that restricts the viewing of CCTV footage;
    • Ambiguous representations of date and time.

    An important question to ask is, "Can it be repaired cost effectively?" Surprisingly, that question isn’t always as simple as it sounds. A system can be unreliable because of the application, hardware or installation. If it is either of the first two, you’re often better off replacing it. If the equipment isn’t right for your application, it will never be reliable. If the equipment isn’t up to the task, same answer. If the installation is at fault, you need to do some more investigating before making a decision.

    You’re better off remedying some types of problems before you rip out a system and replace it with one that performs equally poorly. These can include: the wrong type of wire was pulled, the equipment was not terminated properly, power or thermal issues, or one of a host of installation-related gremlins.

    Another question that should be asked is whether or not the CCTV equipment is approaching the end of its serviceable life. We usually think of this being age-related (monitors, for example, have a finite operating life that is often exceeded), but there are two other reasons that come to mind. The first is whether the product still exists or is supported by the manufacturer.

    The other end-of-life issue occurs when a technology is rendered obsolete and will shortly lack even basic market support. The best example of this is the multiplexer/VCR combination, which provides poor quality, low frame rate images and is subject to a host of problems that go unnoticed until there is a problem. The worst time to find out that the heads were worn on the VCRs, the tapes had not been changed or a power glitch had stopped the VCR is when there’s an incident at your facility.

    Newer technology has surpassed the realm of "nice to have" – the alternatives are so superior to tape – and has become a necessity. Other examples include DVRs that use operating systems no longer supported by the manufacturer (Microsoft®, for example, has announced the end of the road for Windows™2000) or technologies that consume more space, power and cooling than their more modern counterparts (CRT monitors, for example).

    If your facility is still hanging on to a type of technology like this, there had better be a plan in place to ensure replacement – along with a strongly written letter in a file to cover yourself when inevitable problems arise.

    The next installment of this article will appear in a fortnight, and encompasses the Features and Future aspects of your CCTV system.

  10. CCTV To Pilot In Taxis

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    CCTV security cameras are to be placed in some town centre taxis to monitor passenger behaviour as part of a pilot scheme to help protect taxi drivers from abuse.

    The pilot scheme is expected to start in December in time for the busy Christmas period using a number of CCTV cameras in black cabs and private hire taxis. There will be an evaluation of the success of the cameras in early 2007, after which talks will begin with taxi companies about how to extend the scheme further.

    The scheme has been developed jointly by the Black Cab Driver Association, the Private Hire Driver Association, the Hackney Carriage Association, and local Police forces.

    Councillor Denise Fox, Cabinet Advisor for Community Safety, said: "We believe this scheme will improve the safety of passengers and drivers and we hope that we will be able to reach some agreement with taxi companies to continue the scheme after the pilot."

    Any criminal behaviour, whether racist, an assault or robbery, will be captured on CCTV and will be used to assist criminal investigations as well as to improve safety levels.

    Mr Hafias Rehman, a member of the Hackney Carriage Association, said: "We are pleased that this scheme is now underway, it has been in development for a long time so its good to see progress being made. It should give passengers more confidence in using taxi services and also provide the drivers of cabs with greater peace of mind."

    The introduction of digital CCTV to help protect taxi drivers has followed on from a previous trial whereby CCTV was installed on fire engines in order to protect firefighters.