Most large towns and cities have public space CCTV; supplemented by large stores and shops who have installed their own ‘in-house’ systems. These systems have been put in to protect staff, deter shoplifters and hopefully help to identify and arrest anyone committing crime within the premises.
However, Donald Campbell, a Crime Prevention Officer with Tayside Police, said that the hopes of police officers are often short lived when every week, they find many of the ‘in-house’ CCTV systems are no longer fit for purpose and vital evidence is lost with criminals getting away undetected.
He said: ‘‘CCTV is not something that you fit and forget. It must be properly deployed and maintained before it can do the job it is designed for.
‘‘The main problems we come across are staff members not knowing how to work the CCTV system or even download a picture. We are also still seeing old VHS tapes which have been used over and over again giving a picture of a ‘snowstorm’ instead of the criminal. Some CCTV systems have clearly not been serviced regularly so the pictures are of very poor quality. Often the time and date on the recordings are way out because nobody takes responsibility to check them.
‘‘Sadly, we have also seen some stores place Christmas decorations over security cameras and large displays in front of them, blocking the view.
‘‘I would urge all owners or managers of businesses with CCTV cameras installed to take the time to make sure that their system is fit for purpose.’’
Advice on the use of CCTV systems for shops and businesses can be found at www.ico.gov.uk
