• March 1, 2022

    CCTV monitoring is often a crucial part of a businesses security system and strategy to deter and reduce crime and vandalism. CCTV monitoring is most commonly carried out by a professional CCTV monitoring company. But what does a CCTV monitoring company do? 

    We’ve put together this article to explain all, including how CCTV monitoring works and the ways in which monitoring companies can respond. 

     

    What is CCTV monitoring?

    CCTV monitoring is when a business’s CCTV system is manned and monitored by a third-party professional monitoring company. The company and their monitoring operatives will monitor the system and CCTV cameras constantly via an alarm receiving centre (ARC). They will be notified of any activity is triggered and will quickly and efficiently carry out the necessary procedures and actions, such as confirming whether or not is it a false alarm, notifying the key holder or actioning a police response. 

    CCTV monitoring, therefore, allows for an increased level of security for a business, due to the constant supervision and the monitoring operatives on hand, if any unusual or criminal activity were to take place. 

     

    How does CCTV monitoring work?

    CCTV monitoring works via an internet connection. The CCTV system will send trigger notifications and video data to the CCTV monitoring company, over the internet, whereby they will be received by the ARC. The monitoring operatives will then carry out the most appropriate action for the situation. 

    At BusinessWatch, we ensure that signals are always sent and transmitted by using a dual path monitoring device. This uses a combination of IP, GPRS and LTE paths, which ensures monitoring coverage at all times and CCTV monitoring that never fails you. In case one signal fails there will always be a backup.

    Below is a step-by-step guide for what would happen if an intruder was caught on CCTV:

    1. An intruder enters the site and the CCTV system is activated.
    2. A signal from the CCTV system is then sent and received by the ARC and sent on to the monitoring control room. 
    3. A monitoring operative will then verify whether or not it is a legitimate or false activation by either calling the nominated keyholder or visually via the CCTV cameras. 
    4. If the activation proves to be legitimate, the monitoring operative will provide a rapid response to the situation.
    5. The intruder will either be deterred and leave the scene or be caught and brought to justice. 

     

    Did you know that 86% of burglars are never caught! In England, for every 100 burglaries, only 14 arrests are made.

     

    How do CCTV monitoring companies respond?

    There are various ways in which monitoring companies can respond to CCTV alarm activations. These will vary depending on the perceived severity of the situation and include notifying the business’s nominated keyholder, an audio challenge via the CCTV cameras and/or a police or emergency services response. 

    If a CCTV system is connected to other security and smart security systems, such as access control, then it could be possible for the monitoring operatives to activate this too, depending on your system set-up. Interested in smart security? Discover all our smart solutions here.

    At BuisnessWatch, we offer a completely tailored and bespoke monitoring solution to businesses. Therefore, we will discuss with a client their chosen response method for various situations and our monitoring operatives will follow these instructions in combination with their vast knowledge and experience in monitoring systems.   

    Monitoring operatives are carefully chosen and are highly trained in their field. They specialise in making fast and effective decisions whilst remaining calm and efficient in an otherwise stressful situation for a business owner or manager. 

     

    Get in touch

    If you’re interested in starting a CCTV or alarm monitoring contract with us or would like to know more, then please get in touch via 0330 094 7404 or get in touch online here