Installing a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system is an effective measure to increase the security of a business site and also to improve the efficiency and performance of a business’s operations.
In summary, a CCTV system benefits a business by:
- Deterring theft
- Deterring vandalism
- Providing camera footage for evidence
- Monitoring staff performance
- Monitoring staff safety
- Giving you visibility of the entire business premises
- Helping you claim on insurance
- Reducing insurance premiums
- Providing peace of mind
Discover the benefits of installing a commercial CCTV system for your business in depth below.
Deterring Theft
Installing a CCTV system will instantly act to deter criminals and theft. Intruders look for easy targets that will draw little attention to themselves. Seeing a CCTV system installed at your business site will encourage them to move on to a new target, as they will not want to be caught on camera.
Effective for both external and internal security, CCTV cameras can deter internal theft by leaving no area unmonitored.
Having the cameras visible inside your premises will also show the intruder that your business is serious about security. The College of Policing found that overall crime decreased by 51% in car parks with operating CCTV systems.
Deterring Vandalism
Vandalism can also be deterred by the presence of a CCTV system. Criminals don’t want to be caught, so are likely to move on to a new target if they think they will be caught on camera committing a crime.
Make sure that your CCTV cameras are visual and cover the key, if not all, areas of your site for maximum protection against vandalism.
Provides Camera Footage for Evidence
Your business CCTV system can help to identify criminals and bring them to justice. Capturing your intruder or suspicious activity on camera is worth more than just sounding an alarm.
The police or relevant authorities will be able to use the camera footage for evidence as well as help to identify wanted criminals.
A successful example of police using CCTV footage to identify criminals was during the London Riots in 2011. More than 1,000 people were identified and charged within a week of the riots taking place, due to the help of CCTV footage.
Monitoring Staff Performance
Keeping track of your employees’ performance is a great benefit of installing a CCTV system on your business premises. You will be able to monitor their timekeeping and attendance, a useful tool for when you are not on-site yourself. A CCTV system also allows you to see if your staff are behaving appropriately and professionally. You could even use the footage for customer training purposes, to show how, or how not to behave within the workplace.
Monitoring Staff Safety
Monitoring the safety of your staff is a great benefit of installing a CCTV system. Not only can you check they are following safety procedures, particularly when you may not be present, but the footage can also be used as evidence if there did happen to be an accident and a claim was made.
Visibility of Entire Business Premises
It is impossible to be everywhere at once. Use a CCTV system to be your extra pair of eyes. Once your CCTV system is set up to cover your entire business premises, you will be able to have an overview of your entire site from one device.
Feel more in control of what’s going on day-to-day and improve your business management. By seeing the happenings of your business premises via CCTV, you will most likely be able to identify areas for improvement, which will increase business efficiency and productivity.
Insurance Claims
CCTV footage from your business’ system can be a great source of evidence when dealing with insurance claims and can be beneficial for your case. This is a major benefit of having it installed and can be used to protect your business and employees.
Reducing Insurance Premiums
Many insurance companies recognise that installing a CCTV system will increase your business’ security and therefore you could benefit from reduced insurance premiums. Because your premises is deemed a lower security risk, you experience reduced costs, making your CCTV system extremely cost-effective.
Peace of Mind
A benefit of CCTV systems that should not be overlooked, is the peace of mind you’ll experience knowing that all areas of your site are being monitored. Eliminate the worry of what is happening on-site when you aren’t there or when the business is closed, perhaps at weekends, bank holidays or over Christmas.