6 Ways CCTV Cameras Can Reduce Crime

As we go through life, we begin to acquire things that are important to us. Our home, a car, possessions and of course our loved ones. In an ideal world we could grow older, assured in the knowledge that those things will always be ours. But, sadly, the truth of the matter is that now more than ever, there is the potential for someone to be eyeing up your possessions, or worse.

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) has become commonplace through our streets and towns, doing everything from monitoring traffic build-up on main roads to helping keep empty warehouses safe from being vandalised.

CCTV used to be an expensive option, but these days with the advent of cheap outdoor WiFi security cameras, it is extremely affordable, with a range of products from a number of suppliers that are cheap, reliable and interactive from the rapidly growing smart home industry.

So let’s look at 6 ways that CCTV cameras can reduce crime and keep you safe.

CCTV is a visible deterrent

Having CCTV mounted on or near your house, covering the entrances to your property, is going to be off-putting to all but the most extreme criminals. Setting up an outdoor home CCTV system does not need to take long or be expensive, and could save you money in the long run, especially if you are having persistent nuisance problems, such as your vehicle being vandalised or parcels being stolen from your front door.

Be sure not to leave any obvious blind spots. There is no point covering the front and back doors, but leaving a side window exposed, as intruders will quickly notice that blind spot.

Put up signs to notify any potential visitor that they are being recorded. This helps to comply with GDPR for your more innocent guests, whilst being a red flag for the criminal element.

Use Outdoor Surveillance Cameras to communicate with visitors

Having CCTV fitted doesn’t just protect your property when you are out. For many people, answering the front door can fill them with anxiety. Thanks to feature-rich apps connected to CCTV and built in 2-way mic/speakers, it is possible to question your visitors and figure out their intent. Not only does this allow you to dismiss any cold callers or ask welcome guests to wait a few moments while you make it to the door, but it also serves as a prompt for anyone casing the joint that you are watching them, and their image has now been recorded. Time for them to make themselves scarce!

Of course, those same functions mean that you don’t even have to be in the house. With notifications to your phone, you can question visitors and apologise to guests you’ve missed, ask delivery companies to tuck packages away out of sight or bluff unwanted visitors, pretending you’re either in and unwilling to answer the door, or that you’ll be home shortly.

CCTV acts as a second pair of eyes

Not everyone is willing or able to monitor their phone for notifications from their CCTV. If this is you, but you still want the added deterrent of monitoring, there are many companies out there that provide a 24/7 monitoring service. Whether it is to protect your home or maybe a business, having a second pair of eyes scanning the property at all times should give you sufficient peace of mind.

In the event of a crime occurring, such services will call the police on your behalf and begin gathering data that the police or insurers will want. Because you have humans monitoring your feed at all times, the response time between the incident and the police arriving may be significantly reduced. The police may even arrive in time to catch the thieves in the act.

Catching thieves red-handed

If the warning signs and visible outdoor Home CCTV aren’t enough to deter a thief, you have the comfort of knowing that their face is going to be recorded on camera and stored, either on the device itself or wirelessly into the Cloud, where you will be able to review the clips on your phone and alert the police.

Because you will receive live notifications to your phone, you may be able to respond quick enough to alert the police to the presence of intruders. We don’t recommend that you confront them yourselves, but you can rest assured that whether the police arrive in time to catch them in the act or not, your cameras are recording evidence.

Evidence could prove vital in bringing your burglar to justice, and preventing further crimes, not just to neighbours but also to you. Studies show that 50% of repeat victims are burgled again within just a few months by the same thief. The reason for this is obvious – once they have stolen your original possessions, there is a strong chance you will have replaced them via an insurance claim, and given that they might now know the layout already, you don’t want to become easy pickings.

Are you being watched by a thief?

CCTV is great for monitoring your property out to the boundaries. Even before an incident has occurred, you might notice that the same face keeps appearing on camera, maybe peering over your fence, or sneaking up to a window.

If you spot that your property is being surveyed, you have the opportunity to try to prevent the incident from occurring by making sure all locks are being used and replacing anything not up to the task and hiding or removing any high-value items. Add CCTV on any blind spots and even consider an indoor CCTV to cover the main entrances.

And if the worst does happen and you were not aware of your property being cased, you might be able to look back over the previous days or weeks for any evidence of strangers prowling.

Create a wider CCTV network – Neighbourhood watch

Covering your property with CCTV is a great option to help reduce the chance of a burglary happening to you. If your neighbours are all like-minded individuals, they might also be looking into adding CCTV and there is an opportunity there to create a network of cameras that you can all share access to. This is great for dealing with disturbances in the area, or spotting early when strangers begin to regularly hang around, or discouraging troublemakers from getting anywhere near your house.

You should be sure to be up to date with your understanding of the law when it comes to what you can and cannot do, so check out our articles on CCTV and the law, and our guide to GDPR.

Having a complete security solution in your home will bring you peace of mind, and at the end of the day, that is all most of us want when we return home to relax in our private abodes. If you decide to get a CCTV set up, check out our guide on Security Camera Mistakes To Avoid.

Posted on 30th Jul 2021 by ebizadmin