Installing CCTV surveillance systems has been proven to significantly heighten the security of a commercial property, acting as a deterrent to potential offenders while ensuring your staff and customers feel safer in the building.
According to the Home Office’s detailed findings from the 2013 Commercial Victimisation Survey: Second Edition, which discusses crime against businesses, retail units were one of a few commercial settings which experienced the highest rates of crime when compared with other business types in this sector. Therefore, the necessary security measures must be put in place as they will help to reduce the risk of violence and crime in commercial premises by:
- ensuring employees and customers feel safer
- discouraging offenders from attempting to commit criminal activity
- allowing you to collect evidence in the event of a crime to help find and convict offenders
- enabling you to monitor the building to direct staff, security or police to the scene of a crime
Whatever your objectives for having a CCTV system installed are, such control measures will certainly help towards reducing the risk of violence and crime in your commercial premises.
According to official HSE guidance, all employers have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their staff under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. To control the risk of crime and violence in commercial premises, CCTV will allow you to see all areas of the property which will not only act as a deterrent but will allow you to identify and prosecute offenders using CCTV footage.
Technological developments over the years mean CCTV images have improved in picture quality, while systems have reduced in price, making them more widely available for all commercial premises as a cost-effective investment.
When choosing the perfect CCTV system, you must consider:
- what type of CCTV equipment will best suit your requirements and premises, as there are different systems available on the market which offer varying capabilities
- which areas in your premises will benefit most from having CCTV installed
- which policies need to be in place, as there are legal implications to installing CCTV systems
According to official government documentation, those who choose to use CCTV to protect their property “must follow the Data Protection Act. You must:
- put up a sign to let people know CCTV is being used and why
- be able to provide images within 40 days to anyone you’ve recorded (you can charge up to £10 for this)
- share images with the authorities, eg the police, if they ask for them
- keep images only as long as your business needs them
To ensure CCTV is used responsibly, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) provides detailed guidance on how to use CCTV cameras and storing images.
Here at Protect & Detect we supply and install a comprehensive range of security devices, including high-quality CCTV systems. which are a vital requirement for any office, factory, shop or commercial property. This gives users total peace of mind that their business is safe and protected from the risk of violence and crime. We offer products from market-leading brands including:
- Samsung
- Axis
- Honeywell
With a wealth of experience in the industry, our professional CCTV fitters have an extensive and detailed product knowledge so they can offer specialist, technical advice about which system will best suit your commercial environment. Simply contact our expert team today for further information about any of our services – we are always happy to help with any enquiry.