The benefits of a CCTV security system for your business
Businesses throughout the UK are potential targets for criminals. Theft, fraud, vandalism and anti social behaviour are real threats to a business, large or small, so investing in a high quality, modern CCTV security camera system is the best way of protecting your business premises and the staff who work for you.
Business CCTV systems allow for the observation of multiple locations in and around your premises. They operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing total peace of mind that your business and staff are being protected constantly.
CCTV cameras act as a strong visual deterrent and with so many options on the market today, there’s something for every business, no matter what size it may be.
The cost of a smart, high-quality CCTV camera security system has fallen drastically over the years, making a good CCTV system accessible to all.
The main reason business owners choose a CCTV system is to prevent a crime from happening in the first place. However, if a crime does occur on your business premises, the CCTV cameras will capture and record the images/footage, which can then be used as evidence at a later date.
Just the mere sight of CCTV cameras and signage help to reduce the risk of a crime being committed and recent records showed a 90% drop in crime in areas where visible CCTV cameras were installed, such as in shopping centres, big retail stores and car parks.
With so many options available when it comes to CCTV systems for business premises, the best idea is to bring in the professionals – we will visit your business premises, take a good look around, consider all the security risks and design the right system based upon our findings.
You won’t have to worry about a thing, we will take care of everything from the initial design right down to the installation and maintenance of your new high quality CCTV system.
Whatever your business CCTV security requirements may be, our expert installers at cctvlondon.co.uk will install the right CCTV system for your specific needs, at a hugely competitive and affordable price.
For more information regarding our business CCTV installation, repairs and maintenance services in London, call free on 020 3369 8450, or simply fill in the form below for a free no-obligation quote within the hour.
CCTV captures moped riding phone thieves in London
CCTV footage shows the thieves targeting mobile phone users in the street
CCTV cameras have captured alarming footage of a couple of moped riding thieves trying to steal mobile phones out of people’s hands as they walk the streets of London.
Four people were targeted by the thieves within a few minutes of each other, all of which were caught on CCTV.
Two thieves riding mopeds swiped a phone from a man’s hands on Sun Street but dropped it on the floor. The owner of the phone retrieved it.
Moments later, the two thieves snatched a phone from another person on the same street and rode off with it. Seconds later, the bikers are spotted on Primrose Street, where they attempt to snatch a phone from a woman who was using it at the time but were unsuccessful.
Not satisfied with just one phone, they cross the road and target another person with a mobile phone at the Bishopsgate junction and ride off.
The crime spree started on Thursday, December 29 at around 6pm, say the police.
A number of similar incidents across the City of London have been reported over the festive season. Police are warning mobile phone users to stay alert whilst using them, as they could be targeted by these thieves in a matter of seconds.
“The City of London Police is continuing to target this trend as part of Operation Attrition,” said a spokesman from the City of London Police.
The police have issued the CCTV footage to show phone users what these moped riding thieves are willing to do to to get hold of your phone.
Anyone with information, or who might recognise anyone in the CCTV footage, is urged to contact the City of London Police on 020 7601 2999, or you can call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
To find out more about our CCTV installation, repairs and maintenance services in London, please click here, or simply fill in the free quote form below – our expert CCTV installers will reply within 24 hours.
London theft gang caught on CCTV thought to be linked to string of raids
CCTV footage released in the hope of tracing the four suspects
CCTV footage has been released by the police of four men they would like to trace following a string of raids in the Stepney area of London.
The police believe the four suspects could be part of a group that could be responsible for 27 raids that have occurred in the Stepney area, in which local shops are mainly targeted for alcohol and tobacco.
Police have released the CCTV footage in the hope of tracing the men and are urging for the public’s help in finding the gang.
On the CCTV footage you can see the four men walking into the Co-op store, on Middlesex Street, where they grab over £1,500 worth of alcohol and tobacco before leaving the shop. The police believed a fifth suspect waited outside the Co-op.
Detectives from Tower Hamlets believe that it’s the same group that are responsible for the 27 raids in the Stepney area, all of which involved burglary, robbery and shoplifiting. The police also said that some of the stores were targeted more than once.
According to one of the detectives responsible for investigating the raids, the group of men seemed to mainly target local shops who stock alcoholic drinks and tobacco.
He also confirmed that as part of their investigation, they have been speaking to owners of stores around the targeted areas to offer advice on how to prevent becoming a victim.
The police are urging anyone who might recognise the men from the CCTV footage, or has any information that can help with their enquiries to come forward.
Witnesses, or anyone with information are asked to contact the police on 101, or you can call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnV5A7MIBoQ
To find out more about our CCTV installation, repair and maintenance services in London, please click here.
The benefits of wireless CCTV cameras
Wireless CCTV cameras for the home – a quick guide
Wireless CCTV systems are becoming a popular choice in the UK for protecting your property. They are generally more expensive than the traditional wired CCTV systems but they do offer more flexibility, they’re easier to install and are more cost effective.
As they operate over the internet, they can be positioned anywhere in the property, allowing for movement to a different location if required. There’s no need for holes to be drilled for pulling cables through, making the job easier and quicker for the installer.
Due to the fact that there are no wires, cameras can be installed anywhere, inside and outside withouth having to worry about electrical connections and cables. The whole installation process is much easier and the whole system set up is far neater without cables running here and there.
The good thing about wireless CCTV systems is that there are no wires on the outside of your property for thieves to tamper with, providing you with a secure and reliable system to protect your home.
Wireless CCTV cameras provide you with super clear images, which are vital in the event of an incident occurring at your property, as the images can then be used as evidence.
Your wireless CCTV system works via an internet connection, so remote monitorng is an added bonus, allowing for control of your system through the use of a smartphone, tablet or laptop.
This enables you to keep an eye on your property from anywhere in the world, giving you peace of mind that your home is being protected 24/7 whilst you’re away from home.
If you have vulnerable loved ones at home, such as teenagers alone after a school day, or an elderly member of the family, then remote monitoring will help reassure you that everything is okay at home whilst you aren’t there.
And lastly, if you decide to move house, your wireless CCTV system can move too, saving you money.
To find out more about wireless CCTV, or for help and advice on CCTV installation, repairs and maintenance, please call 020 3369 8450, or fill in the CCTV form below for a free no-obligation quote within the hour.
CCTV footage plays its part in capturing London arsonist pair
Jailed for starting blaze at care home in east London with fireworks – vehicle captured on CCTV
Jail terms have been handed out to two men who threw a firework into a care home in east London, which left one woman fighting for her life. CCTV images captured at the time of the incident helped the police to track down the pair, which has led to their convictions.
Both men, aged 23 and from Bethnal Green, pleaded guilty to acting recklessly and endangering life with the intention to destroying or damaging property.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court, Aktaruz Jaman Khan was jailed for seven years and Sabbir Ahmed was given a six year jail sentence.
The two men were jailed at Snaresbrook Crown Court, east London © Copyright Nigel Cox and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
The incident happened on November 13 last year at around 1am. The two men threw a Roman Candle style of firework into the Lynnwood Care Home, Barking. The firework started a fire on the ground floor flat in which one of the women living at the home was sleeping.
Donna Stringer, aged 43, is in a wheelchair and suffers from learning difficulties and receives care at the home.
Donna was taken to hospital and was in a critical condition, suffering from severe burns to her neck and arms. She was affected by the smoke in her room causing internal injuries.
She has been left without the full use of her hands and feelings of discomfort from the scar tissue.
Det Sgt Karl Dines said: “Donna and her family have a tough time ahead but my investigators found these cowards and have brought them to justice.”
CCTV cameras captured a vehicle on the street before the incident throwing fireworks at houses. Detectives were able to identify the vehicle as a BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, even though the CCTV images were taken in poor lighting. After cross-referencing the registration, the police were led to Khan and Ahmed, who were both named as drivers on the insurance policy.
Ahmed was arrested at his home last December and Khan handed himself in six days after.
Please click here for more information regarding our CCTV installation services in London.
Edmonton CCTV operators help police to catch criminals
Two separate incidents caught on CCTV cameras leading to arrests
CCTV operators in Edmonton, London have helped the police to track down and arrest criminals in two separate incidents over the last few months.
One incident involved the possession of drugs and during the other, a weapon was found.
The police in Edmonton were informed about two separate incidents during the same night involving three male suspects in the month of November. They were all caught by CCTV cameras acting in a suspicious manner.
During the first incident, the operators had picked up on a group of men stood around in the street huddled up together on Sterling Way at around 6pm. One of the men was then spotted throwing something into nearby bushes.
After a search, the item found turned out to be a knife and a man was later arrested by the police in Pymmes Park.
Only 20 minutes later, CCTV operators were alerted to another incident unfolding on Colyton Way near to a betting shop, where two men seemed to be acting suspiciously.
Whilst watching the CCTV, one of the men can be seen placing a bag under his jacket which he had just picked up from a nearby alleyway. He then walked into the betting shop. The police were contacted and the two male suspects were searched and arrested for cannabis possession.
Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Health, Councillor Krystle Fonyonga, said that their message was simple; those foolish enough to commit a crime in the borough of Enfield, will be caught out by CCTV and arrested.
Cllr Fonyonga also said that they will not tolerate small groups of people behaving in a criminal manner and will continue to work with the police to protect members of the public.
For information about our CCTV installation services in London, please click here.
A Quick Guide On Outdoor Security Camera Positioning
Inadequate positioning and careless planning could lead to poor surveillance
Positioning CCTV cameras in the right locations around your property is vital if you want to ensure your home and outdoor areas are covered sufficiently.
Choosing the most vulnerable areas to fix the cameras will help provide perfect surveillance of the property, leaving no areas without protection.
Visible & Hidden Cameras Working Together
A burglar looks for cameras around a property and more often than not will think twice after spotting them. Whilst they do help to deter criminals, cameras positioned in the usual places can be tampered with very easily, especially if they are installed too low.
The burglar might assume that these are the only cameras at the property, so positioning a few hidden cameras here and there could help to catch them even after they’ve disabled the visible ones.
Cover All Boundaries
Cameras should be positioned in multiple locations and at different angles around the boundaries of your property, this will help to track the movements of a potential intruder. Having 360 degree coverage over all those hidden areas and main entrances around your home will help protect your property.
Keep Those Cameras High Up
Security cameras that are positioned too low can be tampered with by a potential intruder. Cameras can be left broken and out of use by a burglar and some criminals have even been known to spray paint the lenses or cut the wires.
Try and fix them higher up so they can’t be tampered with, this will also provide the cameras with an expansive observation range. Cameras should be angled so that they fixate on all entry points such as front, back and side doors, windows, garage doors and driveways/gates.
Lighting & Positioning
Don’t position the cameras where they will suffer from interference from direct sunlight as this could jeopardise the images.
Consider investing in some high quality security lighting to work alongside your CCTV cameras. Good lighting and correctly positioned cameras around your property will help to deter criminals.
Please click here for more information about our CCTV installation services in London.
CCTV cameras help to catch London tube station fraudster
The fraudster was planting skimming devices on to ticket machines but was caught out by the use of CCTV cameras
CCTV cameras have helped to catch a fraudster who was attaching skimming devices to ticket machines on the London underground.
The device is used to gather data fraudulently from a person’s debit or credit card when they use it in the ticket machine. Their finances and personal details can then be used illegally by the criminals.
Alin-Cristi Lazar, aged 20, was caught attaching the skimming devices onto ticket machines at three separate stations on the underground Tube network.
CCTV cameras captured Lazar fixing the devices onto the ticket machines and the police managed to identify him as a result.
On April 11 this year, staff from the Gloucester Road Underground Station, in west London, were told that a skimming device had been found attached to a ticket machine. Then on May 3, another skimming device was found on a ticket machine at Notting Hill Gate Underground and a week later a third device was discovered at Canary Wharf.
Captured CCTV footage and forensic evidence at all three crime sites helped detectives with their investigation.
Lazar from Edgware, in north London, pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing articles with the intent of fraud. He was handed a 12 month jail sentence for each count, to run concurrently at a Young Offenders Institute.
Detective Constable Matt Nolan, from the British Transport Police’s Series & Organised Crime Unit said: “Lazar thought he was being smart by planting devices at different stations throughout the network. However, what he did not realise is that we police a CCTV rich environment and were positively able to link him to each location.”
To find out more about our London CCTV installation services, please click here.
When was the first home CCTV system invented..
..and by whom?
The very first home CCTV security system was the invention of African-American, Marie Van Brittan Brown (October 30, 1922 – February 2, 1999), who was helped by her husband Albert Brown.
Marie Van Brittan was a nurse and inventor who was born in Queens, New York in 1922. Albert Brown, her husband, was an electronics technician.
As a nurse, she didn’t work regular 9 to 5 hours and found herself alone at home at odd hours during the day and night and felt worried and concerned. The rise in crime around their neighbourhood and the time victims had to wait for the police to respond had become ridiculously slow, leaving herself and many of the other residents feeling more and more vulnerable.
Marie wanted to find a solution, so she and her husband Albert set about creating the first ever home security system.
The biggest concern for Marie was having to open the door not knowing who was there. So the husband and wife team worked on a motorized camera which was attached to a cabinet and fixed onto the door. The camera could slide up and down and had four peep holes to view from. The top hole would show if a tall person was at the door, whilst the bottom peep hole would show if it was a child and the middle two holes would capture anyone in between. Everything that the camera saw would then appear on a monitor, plus the system could hear the caller’s voice and allowed the resident to unlock the door via a remote control.
The system also had an alarm button that allowed you to contact the police immediately if you felt threatened.
The patent application was filed in 1966 and was granted on December 2, 1969 (patent number 3,482,037) and for her invention, Marie was given an award from the National Scientists Committee (NSC).
Due to the effectiveness of Marie and her husband’s home security system, many businesses began to use the system also.
Marie and her husband were responsible for introducing two-way communication and home security surveillance to the people and both features are still used in today’s CCTV technology – providing peace of mind to home and business owners throughout the world.
Marie Van Brittan Brown died in Queens, New York on February 2, 1999 at the age of 76. She had two children, one of which also went on to become a nurse and an inventor in the health sector.
Please click here to find out more about the services we provide at CCTV London.
Police release CCTV footage of two booze thieves wanted in London
CCTV footage released showing two men grabbing booze from a shop in south east London
CCTV footage has been released by police in Lewisham, of two men they would like to speak to in connection with a burglary at a convenience store in south east London.
The Premier convenience store on Bromley Road, in Bromley, was broken into between 11:45pm on Tuesday, October 18 and 7pm on Wednesday October 19. The thieves managed to escape with large amounts of alcohol and cigarettes and some cash. The grand total of their haul amounted to around £10,000-£12,000.
On the CCTV footage, you can clearly see the moment the two thieves are caught grabbing at booze from inside the convenience store.
The thieves are believed to have gained entry by forcing open the rear shutters and door. Once the men had gained access, they raided the till and stole large quantities of cigarettes and took alcohol off the shelves. The thieves then left via the rear of the store.
Through CCTV images, the police have identified two males they would like to trace in connection with the break-in. One suspect is described as white, between 30-40 years-old, large build with a light brown beard. The second suspect is described as Asian, between 20-30 years-old, with a full black beard and black hair.
The police are keen to hear from anyone that may have been offered cheap alcohol or cigarettes recently that they think might be stolen.
Anyone with information, or who might recognise the two men in the CCTV footage, are urged to call the police on 020 8284 8361, or you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Please click here for more information about our CCTV installation services throughout London.