Paying a Premium Price for a Budget CCTV System
As an Independent Consultant I recently advised a well-known high street chain and discovered that they had paid the right price for quality CCTV systems but had installed over 40 systems that failed on all of the following points and had been sold equipment that should have cost half the amount.
CCTV installation and purchase can be problematic for many organisations. Issues include identifying reputable companies, achieving an understanding of the requirement, being able to compare offerings based on different solutions and equipment, how the system should be operated to provide effective security, ensuring that the system meets current legislative requirements and produces pictures of evidential quality.
Even if CCTV companies have been required to quote for the same system it can be difficult to determine if the lowest quotation is offering best value or using inferior equipment to gain a price advantage.
Under these circumstances it is not unusual for a company to simply opt for the least expensive solution on offer. Quite often this will fall into the 80% of systems that fail to meet police standards and the money may well be wasted. All too often the system chosen while being cheaper than the other two is still far too expensive for what is being provided and the customer ends up paying a premium rate for a system which is not fit for purpose.
Read about a free service that can ensure this doesn’t happen to you.
Putting Your Trust in a Local or Nationally Known CCTV Installation Company
The police have stated that 80% of CCTV cameras are not fit for purpose. Over 90% of CCTV systems are illegal under the DPA. The vast majority of these were installed by “professional installation companies”. You may believe that your local or nationally known company is good and to be trusted. So did most organisations who wasted their money on badly designed CCTV.
As one of the leading CCTV auditors in the UK, working with organisations as diverse as Her Majesty’s Prison Service, the NHS and organisations in the retail and leisure industry, we have been able to obtain a unique insight into the quality of installation in the UK. Sadly, our experience is that each installation depends on the individual salesperson who designed the system. The size or public perception of the installation company offers little assurance of good design. Our audits indicate that the police statistic of 80% of cameras not being fit the purpose is, if anything, a conservative estimate.
Click here to ensure that your system is both fit for purpose and legal.
Choosing the Wrong Camera or Lens
If you or your installation company choose the wrong camera or lens and there is every possibility that the Police will not be able to use your pictures in court. If you install a high definition camera when a four-megapixel camera is necessary you will halve the resolution of the picture. Likewise, if you double the width of the picture you halve the resolution available.
Click here to ensure that each camera has the correct lens, resolution and angle of view.
Choosing the Wrong NVR
Installing an NVR with too low a resolution, or insufficient capacity to record the amount of video you need to archive, again means that your system may be of little use in a Police prosecution.
Click here to avoid this happening to you.
Installing an Illegal System
Install a system that does not comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA) and it could result in a fine of up to 4% of your international turnover / criminal record, unlimited civil damages and CCTV evidence that is challenged in court.