How can businesses benefit from CCTV during lockdowns?

In a time when high-quality, tech-forward surveillance solutions exist, continuing to rely only on human staff for security is both ineffective and potentially dangerous. At the same time, the pandemic has made a significant impact on workplace conditions, and CCTV systems have proved to be particularly beneficial during lockdowns. If your business operates from a physical location and you haven’t installed a CCTV yet, these key findings may prompt you to consider this investment.

COVID-19 has led to an increase in the rate of physical security incidents

I don’t need to install CCTV, my store is in a quiet area where there are no incidents.

This is one of the most common arguments against installing CCTV, and it’s completely understandable why office managers who are already on a tight budget due to the pandemic might be hesitant. However, just because there haven’t been any physical security incidents in your area doesn’t mean that there will be none in the future. In fact, one recent study has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in physical security incidents. Unfortunately, the pandemic has generated a lot of pressure, and security incidents are just one of its unwanted side-effects:

• Because of the pandemic, many workers were laid off, and the unemployment rate increased. Faced with financial turmoil and set against a context of panic, anxiety, and economic uncertainty, many people resorted to extreme measures, including shoplifting.
• Lockdowns are often associated with food shortages. Worried that they would no longer be able to find essential groceries on the shelves, many shoppers displayed aggressive behaviour towards store staff and other clients. When the first lockdown started, UK’s supermarket chains urged shoppers not to panic buy, people still fought over groceries.
• The pandemic led to an increase in irritable and anxious behaviour, and therefore in difficult customers.
• Many businesses were forced to lay off security personnel, which left their premises unattended and invited burglars in. Also, some companies switched to remote work and left the building unguarded, which again was a magnet to burglars.
• Half of businesses reported higher absenteeism rates with security guards.

Some of the most worrying findings of the study include:

• 20% of businesses surveyed reported an increase in the number of physical incidents.
• One-third of business representatives said that they expect the number of physical incidents to rise in 2021.
• Nearly half of businesses said that they had to change their security strategy to cope with the new challenges.
• Most managers boosted their security by investing in CCTV cameras.

According to the security experts at CCTVdirect, surveillance cameras can help enterprises handle lockdown-specific security incidents in two key ways. On the one hand, the simple presence of CCTV cameras discourages burglary and vandalism because people are generally looking for easy targets, and cameras make their job more complicated. On the other hand, even if an incident does take place, CCTV systems will help security personnel notice it in time, or at least make it easier for the authorities to identify the wrongdoers.

CCTV cameras may help enforce social distancing and other security measures.

The COVID-19 pandemic is perhaps the biggest threat to global health in decades. To slow down its spread, bodies such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have recommended businesses to allow their employees to work from home as much as possible and, where this wasn’t possible (such as in the case of essential businesses), implement strict security measures:

• Employees should wear protective equipment such as masks, face shields, and gloves, wash their hands, and use hand sanitiser regularly
• Businesses that still allow access to the public must limit the number of people who are able to be on the premises at the same, and make sure everyone respects social distancing measures
• Everyone who enters the premises must have their temperature checked.
• Staff must regularly disinfect surfaces.

Supermarkets are the first example that comes to mind when it comes to following these measures, but guidelines also apply to hair salons, schools, banks, gyms, restaurants, and more. Failing to comply with these regulations not only poses a health threat to clients and staff but also makes business liable to heavy fines and the loss of consumer trust.

COVID-19 security measures are more likely to be followed when surveillance systems are present. What’s more, high-end CCTV cameras offer advanced features that can help property managers implement smart security solutions. For example, they can be powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), which can analyse real-time data and offer valuable insights:

• Cameras can help manage customer queues so that clients do not risk their health while waiting to get inside stores.
• Cameras can automatically count the number of people who enter and exit the premises and thus help security staff enforce social distancing rules.
• Cameras can detect when an area is overcrowded and alert security.
• Cameras can detect people who are not wearing masks and personal protective equipment, which creates a safe environment for everyone.
• Businesses can invest in cameras with face and wrist scanners, which automatically detect if people who enter the premises are wearing their mask, take their temperature with an accuracy of up to 99% and deny access if the temperature is too high.

Although the CCTV systems that offer these features may require a significant investment, their perks are definitely worth the money and may boost efficiency. For example, AI-powered cameras can spot details that human security personnel may miss. Besides, they can take on repetitive tasks, such as counting the number of people coming into a store, so that human workers can focus on more complex tasks.

Even if your business doesn’t have the budget to invest in CCTV cameras with advanced AI-powered features, that doesn’t mean you cannot benefit from basic security systems. In fact, even the simplest surveillance camera, placed in a key location, can help your security staff spot physical incidents and take action immediately.