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Mar
2017

Video Surveillance for Outdoor Security

March 30th, 2017 | by admin admin | in Security Advice |    1   

Does your business store valuable assets outdoors? Construction sites, marinas and auto dealerships/repair shops know the challenges of protecting outdoor assets. Cranes, boats, vehicles, powerlines and electrical plants, lumber, farm machinery, heavy equipment, RVs and other vulnerable assets need to be stored outside, often surrounded only by wire fencing.

Many businesses hire security guards to patrol their sites. However, guards can only be in one place at a time. Experienced thieves know how to time their entry. Human fatigue and error can also play a role.

Video surveillance can complement security patrols. However, 24/7 surveillance and patrols can be expensive and again, human fatigue is an issue.

Remote video monitoring—Radius’ Remote Guarding—offers a more efficient and cost-effective approach.

How Does It Work?

Outdoor assets are, by definition, exposed. While some assets, such as vehicles, can be locked individually, others are safe only because they are too bulky to move. Your best protection is to catch a thief or vandal before they can move or damage your property.

Strategically placed security cameras with video analytics  software continuously monitor the area where your assets are stored. Unlike a human operator, these cameras can stay on high alert for 100 per cent of their shift and miss nothing they are programmed to catch. They can also screen out false triggers, such as leaves and animals, while operating in all lighting and weather conditions.

Once the security software detects human activity, it alerts operators at a remote monitoring station.

What Happens Next?

Having a central monitoring station allows operators to monitor many properties across a city, a country or even the world, at the same time. Once an alert comes in, a human operator can determine whether there is a crime in progress. Using video feeds, two-way audio, sirens and lights, he can speak to or warn an intruder. Depending on client instructions, he may immediately notify police.

False Alarms

Your co-operation is critical to the effectiveness of a remote video monitoring system. False alarms are a huge drain on resources and increasingly, police departments are requiring alarm verification before responding to calls. While a central monitoring station operator can verify alarms using video and audio feeds, how she interprets those feeds depends on a client’s instructions.

If an employee will be working after hours, she must notify your security provider. Likewise, let your alarm company know when to expect cleaning staff.

Security companies build a valuable reputation with local police departments. If a company, or a client, has a reputation for legitimate alarms, officers are dispatched to any incidents much faster. Unverified alarms, meanwhile, receive low dispatch priority.

What Equipment Do I Need?

A wide range of solutions are currently available to secure outdoor assets. As mentioned, you will need video-analytics-enabled cameras at strategic locations. Live audio feeds are useful for verifying alarms. Sirens and lights allow operators to initiate “suspicious behaviour alerts,” which sometimes scare off intruders. Security cameras that pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) allow operators to take a closer look at a trigger and monitor what a suspect is doing.

Your best approach would be to talk to a security provider about the equipment and communications (wiring/wireless) issues relevant to your specific site. Our security professionals would be happy to answer your questions. Contact us today.