The benefits of commercial CCTV systems for businesses

Small businesses have to act in their own best interests. The Covid-19 pandemic, for example, highlighted the financial fragility many small businesses experience in the UK. And when it comes to crime, your business needs to have commercial CCTV Systems installed to protect them from possible problems in the future.

For example, in the wholesale and retail sector, the most common type of crime experienced by businesses is theft (27%), followed by assaults or threats (12%) and burglary (10%), all of which could possibly be prevented by a modern CCTV system. By upgrading your security cameras and systems, it can work as a strong deterrent, and if an incident does occur, it can help bring the perpetrator to justice and strengthen any legal cases.

Below is a brief look into some of the many benefits CCTV systems have for businesses of all sizes.

Prevent Crime

One of the biggest advantages of CCTV is the prevention of crime. Having it in place can reduce crime by 13% when compared with businesses that do not have CCTV. Would-be criminals may take one look at your CCTV cameras and avoid your premises in favour of another without such protection. This is the absolute best-case scenario for both you and your business. Preventing crimes before they happen can ensure your business is not impacted.

In the circumstances that your business is unfortunately targeted, CCTV will be in place to help catch the suspects and provide your insurance company with evidence of the crime. Suspicious activity will also be caught on camera, allowing you to proactively prevent a crime against your business.

Reduce Security Costs

Not only can a commercial CCTV system prevent crime, but it can also reduce security costs for other areas of the business too! Investing in these crime-prevention tools means that you have to invest less in hiring security forces to look after the premises. Although it’s beneficial to install other security measures, you don’t necessarily have to, as you do have protection in place.

Many small businesses are already feeling strapped for cash as it is, so paying salaries for security guards may simply not be realistic for you anymore. Surveillance is sadly a must, and if things go wrong, it would likely be more expensive to go without it. However, with commercial CCTV installed, you can benefit from cost savings without leaving your business unprotected.

Deter Vandals

Vandals will attack buildings to convey a message, express frustration, stake revenge, make money, or as part of a game. Some vandals even display other signs of social disorder, such as disturbing the peace and trespassing. Unfortunately, many business owners never discover the reason their premises are vandalised. It could simply be bad luck. That’s why you, as a business, need to have CCTV installed, as it deters them from damaging your property.

Not only that, but CCTV cameras show that the building is occupied and protected and imply there is a risk of legal action if they do cause any damage. Many vandals tend to attack buildings that are empty or ones that they believe they can damage punishment-free. If yours looks full of life and heavily fortified by security measures – especially CCTV – then they’re much less likely to target you specifically. These warning signs are clear indicators that show they can easily get into trouble and face legal action when caught. When it comes to vandals, without CCTV, you are making it easy for them.

Handle Disputes

Having hard evidence of a crime or lack of crime will strongly help your case if you are ever taken to court or need to take legal action against someone else. Video footage quickly separates fact from fiction and leaves nothing to hearsay. It establishes what really happened and ensures that you can clearly showcase the crime, or lack of crime, taking place. CCTV systems make it so that you can clear your business from any wrongdoing and see to it that you succeed in future legal proceedings.

Since the 1990s, CCTV cameras have proven useful in providing crucial evidence to authorities to help bring criminals to justice. Whether it’s to help track down a criminal or clear up confusion around missing money from the till, with CCTV, it’s a lot easier to provide undisputable evidence and get a better conviction in a court case. By not having it in place, you may have a much harder time recovering your assets and seeking justice.

Monitor Staff

Although monitoring staff can be conveyed as a negative, it can actually be turned into a positive, depending on what you’re trying to achieve. Be sure to let them know there’s CCTV on the premises and what the policy is surrounding the CCTV system. The purpose should be to monitor their performance and ensure their safety and not to see if they’re potentially misbehaving or breaking the rules.

Staff that think you don’t trust them will be less motivated and less productive at their work. The business will then suffer as less production means less business taking place between your business and its clients. But by monitoring their performance, you can see where they need to improve and look out for behaviour that indicates problems. This can give your business a boost! It is also an important element of any customer-facing role. If a customer gets aggressive with your staff, video footage can be provided to the police, and it shows that you genuinely care about their well-being and safety.

How Can You Improve Security In The Workplace?

At Jackson Fire & Security, we have everything your business needs to keep it fully safe and secure. Whether it be Access Control Systems, Commercial CCTV Systems, or Intruder Alarm Systems, we are confident that we can help. Get in touch to find out more about our whole range of security services!