Guidelines for Maintenance and Operation of CCTV Systems
1. Monitoring
The need for CCTV system monitoring will vary greatly depending on many factors such as the need to view live and / or recorded images, whether monitoring is done locally or remotely, the complexity of the CCTV system and the type of response required, the operator.
2. Control Room
If the CCTV system requires live monitoring, camera control, management systems, or other intensive human activity, a control room will be required to carry out these functions. The CCTV control room can be a single workstation, or a large central operations room. The lighting in the control room needs to be considered carefully. If the room has windows, sunlight will affect the operator's ability to monitor the system. Therefore it is necessary to pay attention to the layout of the control room or you can add curtains to the windows. To present images, analog cameras or digital IP cameras can be used.
The operator must be able to monitor multiple CCTVs. For example an operator must be able to monitor 8 cameras and perform tasks related to them. The monitored camera view must be presented at a size sufficient to enable the operator to carry out its duties properly and be able to automatically or manually change the focus of the display. For example, if an operator is given an identification task, but it turns out that he is only given the task of monitoring 4 cameras on a small low resolution screen, the task will not be carried out optimally. Operators must also be in an ideal position and not too far from the screen so they can see the information on the CCTV monitor properly. The ideal distance for better monitoring for CCTV operators is around 0.5 - 1.5 meters. They should also be positioned so that the operator can easily change their seated position to face the display. It would be better if the control room has 2-4 CCTV monitors. Operators can view CCTV images on the main screen and use adjacent displays to show focus on a specific camera or system details and settings. Depending on the needs, it would be better if you have several operators to share the workload during busy times. For example during certain events where there may be multiple incidents occurring simultaneously.
If the CCTV display can be mounted on a wall then monitoring will be better because many cameras can be monitored simultaneously.
A control room should be designed with the following specifications:
Located in a special building or in a room in a building Always stay locked, whether it's in use or in an emergency Whenever possible, have separate facilities for refreshment and rest Must have means of direct communication with law enforcement officials Access to CCTV monitoring must be strictly controlled, including when changing operator shifts All visitors and contractors who enter the control room must fill in visitor data The control room must be designed according to good ergonomic standards
3. Operator training for effective use
Trained operators will help contribute to the effective use of the CCTV system. Operational needs will help determine who needs training and to what degree. Training must be documented and recorded and can be provided by the CCTV company during the handover event. CCTV operator training can also be provided by experienced employees when training new operators or when retraining is required.
Overseas, CCTV operators have certain requirements and must pass personnel selection and training. These requirements must be followed in order for the system to be able to be monitored according to established standards. In the UK for example, a public space CCTV operator must have an SIA (Security Industry Authority) license.
4. Procedures for data protection and access authorization
CCTV systems operated by companies and organizations that routinely record images of individuals must comply with the requirements and principles of the Protection Act applicable in the area. The local law contains obligations for organizations, as well as providing individual rights, such as the right to gain access and to claim compensation when they suffer a loss.
5. Response when an incident occurs
The agreed local procedures should detail the actions to be taken in the event of an incident such as:
Actions to be taken
Who should respond
Response time scale
The time at which observations should be made
Criteria for a successful response
The CCTV operator must keep a record of all incidents.Â
Procedures should identify who is responsible for responding in the event of an incident. Depending on the type of incident, those responsible are:
Law enforcement agencies
Security staff / security (security guard)
Shop manager
Key Holder
Board of Directors
Response time scale
The time at which the incident is reported to the appropriate authorities must be documented.Â
Policies and procedures should indicate the time at which observations and / or records are required and may be as follows:
Immediately after the incident
Until the perpetrator was arrested
During the event, triggered by an alarm
There are no related incidents, for example; video loss, detector failure etc.
For a certain period
Results of a successful response in the event of an incident
An overall indicator of a successful response during an incident is that the operation of the CCTV system has successfully fulfilled its objectives, namely:
Restores calm
Take control of the situation Prevention or minimization of the level of injury and damage Reducing crime and nuisance, to increase safety and reassure the public Identify the suspect Gather relevant information to assist in catching offenders Arrest the suspect with evidence Public safety through effective evacuation Traffic flow returned to normal Recording quality and storage time Recorded material must be used as evidence required by the court if it is to be accepted as evidence of a crime. It is therefore important to maintain the evidence integrity of the recorded material at all times. Modern technology allows data to be recorded and stored on various media.
Appropriate security measures must be taken to prevent unauthorized access to alter, leak, damage, destroy or delete recorded material. Data should not be given to organizations other than ownership of the CCTV system, other than for the purpose of identifying suspected perpetrators or witnesses. Recording copies should not be done routinely. If there is, the person who made it must be responsible if the copy is taken according to the procedure. Ideally each copy should be assigned a unique number and recorded.
Media use, storage and disposal
Recorded material must be stored in a safe environment, so that the integrity of the media is maintained. This includes recorded material that has been requested by law enforcement agencies or contains known incidents. Access to the record storage area must be controlled and strictly enforced. Data to be discarded must be destroyed under controlled operation.
Recording Material
In a digital CCTV system, the registrar must show the age of the media at all stages of ownership for it to be useful for evaluating the CCTV scheme.
Records must include the following:
Unique equipment reference number
Time / date / name of the person who took the equipment from storage for use
Time / date / name of the person who returned the equipment to storage after use
Remarks column to explain additional points (e.g. delete / destroy / turn over to law enforcement agencies / delete from recording machine)
Time and date of submission to law enforcement agencies, as well as the identity of the officer of the law enforcement agency concerned
In the event of non-automatic system data deletion, it is necessary to record the time, date and the person responsible for erasing and or destroying it
7. Database
Any information used to support the CCTV camera system, the database used for matching purposes must be accurate and kept up to date. Sources of information must be assessed for accuracy before use. The database must comply with all relevant regulations including compliance with the Data Protection Act. An example of a related database is facial recognition.
8. Export records
When exporting CCTV footage the following procedures must be followed:
The operator keeps operator records of the equipment which will allow the manager to know who is operating the equipment at any given time. Record without interruption, whenever possible. Any disturbances should be recorded. Data export must comply with Digital Imaging procedures and local police requirements regarding CCTV system operation.
9. Review of operational requirements
The system owner must conduct periodic reviews not to exceed 12 months to:
Ensure any changes to the operational requirements of the CCTV surveillance system are identified. Identify system improvements that can increase the system's ability to meet operational needs. It is recommended that the company provide design and data input system maintenance is involved in the review and any identified changes are recorded along with the details of the work to be performed.
Examples of things to consider during a review include:
Changes to use properties Changes in the environment (e.g. influencing sunlight, shadows, possible pedestrian or vehicle movement) Vegetation growth (plants that block sight, shadows, animals, plants that can become hiding places for intruders, etc.) Threat change Changes in monitoring capabilities (e.g. operator staff) Improved detector, camera and recording technology Changes in laws (eg the Freedom Protection Act, Human Rights Law, etc.). An overview of the operating requirements of a CCTV system may be based on an attempt to measure the effectiveness of the system. Care must be taken when reviewing system operational requirements. For example, for 1 year after the CCTV surveillance system was installed, a criminal was caught. However in year 3 no criminals were caught. This does not mean that CCTV cameras are no longer effective as crime may be reduced due to the effectiveness of existing cameras.
