CCTV in Blackpool is pretty much everywhere. Not only are we being constantly watched by an army of seagulls waiting to swoop down and steal your sausage roll or sandwich – there are also an army of cameras watching over you. You walk up any of the streets in the town centre or around the outlying retail parks and there will be at least 10 cameras pointing at you or in your direction all the time. Not all working, not all of a good quality but watching non the less. You’re not even out of the watchful eye of CCTV in Blackpool when walking around residential streets either. More and more homeowners are installing budget, DIY and even entire DUMMY CCTV systems to protect their property and act as a visible deterrent to would be thieves.
But are these DIY / off the shelf systems up to the job? It’s difficult trawling through all the marketing material and sometimes it’s easier to just get the right info from the right local person.
CCTV in Blackpool (online)
You will have no doubt seen the recent increase in still images and even video clips from CCTV systems portraying some shadowy figure just out of visible sight on a dark night appearing to look through a car window or in some cases actually entering vehicles or trying house doors. Technically publishing images from a home or business CCTV is not permitted under the ICO’s Data Protection Act and in some rare cases posting footage can actually lead to it being inadmissible as evidence after it has been published but still we see more and more CCTV footage week on week. Some local people have joined together out of frustration to form local information sharing groups about local crimes and suspected would be thieves on the prowl – This highlights a key factor in all of this which is the fear of being made a victim by one of these opportunist thieves.
Many older cameras like the one pictured above would be really effective if the burglar was stood very still about 1M away from the camera , any further out and the image becomes less and less clear which invariably is what you will see posted on social media appealing for help.
Communities Working Together
Something needs doing to help deter these opportunist thieves who are taking advantage of a system that is essentially flawed. Not only are they taking advantage of low quality CCTV sensors being useless at getting useful images, It’s even possible to trick traditional security lights by either walking slowly enough that the sensor doesn’t detect a change in enough of it’s sensor OR by simply holding a bed sheet up between you and the sensor. Seriously – try it out at home with your own security light… a thin cotton bed sheet will stop the IR radiation emitted by your body from being detected by the sensor.
We’re not by any means advocating taking the law into ones own hands – that would be irresponsible – but with the police still recovering from austerity’s budget cuts and what appears to be a local increase in this sort of crime – We local people can do our bit to ensure that the thieves have as few opportunities as possible.
- Ensuring any goods are removed from vehicles overnight and ensuring that your outbuildings have a good enough lock to withstand a quiet attack (ie without smashing it open with a hammer)
- Installing chains and deadlocks on windows and doors will bolster the security of your house. It’s a basic step overlooked by many people even in this modern age.
- Ensuring valuables aren’t left on display through your home windows, using net curtains is the traditional approach to this.
- Get to know your neighbours. If you don’t know the names of the people who live near you – you’ve missed the briefing on local community. Getting to know your neighbours and their general habits can help the whole community to detect any activity that is out of character for the property. We’re not saying everyone should join a community watch group but knowing who is who on the street can be extremely helpful not just in instances of crime detection but also for every other reason under the sun.
- Listing any items you do store in your garage or shed will help you to identify anything that might be missing if you do suffer a break in.
- Displaying warning signs around your property is a good indicator to would be criminals that you have laid some sort of traps for them and in many cases will put off would be thieves. Installing dummy cameras at the very least can also add to the impression of security around your property.
- Ensuring that your home and contents insurance actually covers you from thefts from outbuildings or vehicles as many policies don’t include this as standard.
- Ensuring you back up your precious memories on an external hard drive or set of memory sticks (and in some form of cloud storage) in case your phone or laptop is taken.
One other really obvious way is for more local residents to install good quality CCTV systems to act as visible deterrents on residential streets as well as to aid in the identification of people suspected of wrongdoing walking around at a specific time of night.. It might not be your house that’s targeted but you may well catch the offender on your camera making away from the scene. The more residents that have CCTV in Blackpool and surrounding areas – the better the chance of catching or deterring late night prowlers.
What does CCTV Mean?
CCTV in Blackpool along with the rest of the country/World has become a common term in popular usage and describes any camera system that isn’t broadcasting to the rest of the world (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) – but in many cases modern systems ARE broadcasting, to the internet at least. Most home and business systems can now be accessed by apps which the designated data controllers and CCTV operators can use to log into the system from anywhere with an internet connection to ensure things are as they should be, change settings if needed or to review footage from a recent alert from the property. For home systems it’s common for all the family to have access to the system.
Modern CCTV systems can not only be integrated into your home network but can also be interfaced with your burglar alarm and in most cases many other smart devices around your home – which allows for more versatility in your install. Motion detectors and invisible/virtual trip wire systems can be used on your property to get an early warning of someone sneaking over your fence line or at your back gate. Being able to check on your system from your phone, iPad, Laptop, Desktop or Smart TV is a very handy addition to the modern home.
Adding an intercom system for your front door would also negate the need for a stand alone video doorbell system that can be easily ripped from the wall and destroyed by any determined attacker. You won’t need to sign up for monthly cloud storage for one particular device either which is often not explained when buying these stand alone units. Other features that aren’t widely spoken about with video doorbell systems is their activation time and low light ability. The more expensive versions seem to do better with both but on the whole – unless your system is wired in and on all the time – you’re guaranteed to miss something with one of these gimmicky door bell video devices.
Recent advancements now mean that the cameras you can buy today have the clearest images to date at the best comparative price point. We spoke to our Friend and CCTV expert Kevin Hamilton at Hamisec.UK to find out what the state of the art is today.
Kevin installs CCTV in Blackpool and around the North West at residential properties and for businesses small and large around the North-West. One of his recent jobs was working on a large warehouse near Manchester which is employing robots to do the work of some people. To ensure all workers are as safe as they can be – the factory has just installed 4K 8Mp cameras. These are probably the best cameras available on the market today ensuring the operators have the best possible view of the shop floor while it’s in action.
For comparison – the entry level ring video doorbell has an image size of 720p (we called this HD ready before HD was rolled out) – you can fit 4 of these images comfortably on most 1080p monitors and the image size will look correct. If you make the 720p image full screen on a 1080p monitor or tv – the detail drops away dramatically. installing a 1080p camera can help with this but it’s not the state of the art right now.
‘We’re installing 4K cameras that have effectively 4 times more pixels than the 1080 cameras meaning 4 times the detail.’
The added advantage with these modern cameras is their sensor size. On older systems 2Mp (megapixel or 2,000,000+ pixels) was considered a good sensor size for a CCTV camera. The image quality was better than the 1Mp cameras of the previous generation and the contrast of the image had a better range too. The larger the sensor the better the image and with a whopping 8Mp sensor in these new CCTV cameras the quality achieved even in low light is unmatched by anything that has come before.
Spending the extra to ensure your property is properly safe means the difference in finding out what time someone stole your stuff or being able to identify who stole your stuff quickly enough for the police to catch them and recover your items. Image Quality is EVERYTHING.
Upgrade Your Existing System With Hamisec.UK
In most cases an existing system can be easily upgraded and built upon and not all cameras will need to be UHD but the more you have the better the chances of securing a conviction if something were to happen at your property.
Modern systems can also be programmed to keep track of motion in certain areas meaning that you can set your system to trigger an alert when someone passes a certain point on your driveway or up towards your back door. This little notification can make all the difference in warding off a would be burglar. Much better than just having a security light blink on.
“Existing alarm systems can also be upgraded to interface with your CCTV system which adds a completely different dimension to the deterrent your house can offer. The biggest barrier to people installing up to date security equipment at their property is normally the price. We would argue that you can’t afford to NOT have a system that is up to the job and as such we have made it more accessible to our customers who are able to spread the cost of their purchase over a year or longer if required.”
Protect Your Work Van On The Driveway/Street
Another novel use of technology that Hamisec helped one of their customers with was by re-purposing one of the sensors from the house system allowing it to be used in the homeowners van so that if anyone did manage to break into the van not only would it set off the van’s alarm but also the house alarm too. This sort of added extra (over and above the quote) seems to be the norm for Hamisec. Watch the demonstration in the video (below).
You’ll need to turn up the sound once you’ve pressed play.
Why We Think Hamisec.uk Deserves YOUR Business for CCTV in Blackpool…
We can personally vouch for the efficiency and the work ethic of Hamisec.uk from our dealings with Kevin at Amazing Graze Soup Kitchen – During the recent Refurbishment – Kevin donated and personally installed a state of the art CCTV and Intruder Detection system at the Bolton Street Facility. He responded to our call for help on Facebook and turned up with a van full of brand new gear – all installed correctly and professionally. The system at Amazing Graze is state of the Art and Kevin spent many long hours of his own donated time to keep coming back to complete the installation. The building itself features 2 of Hamisec’s own branded Alarm boxes and as a deterrent they have so far managed to keep the unit safe from any threats.
Choosing CCTV in Blackpool for your home or business can be a daunting process with many of the finer details of the component equipment turning out to be massive performance factors for the system altogether. We would personally recommend calling Kevin at a provider like Hamisec.UK in order to give you the best advice possible based on a working knowledge of the equipment day in day out at different sites.
Please click HERE to head to Hamisec’s Website where you can view their full range of security equipment along with the different packages on offer.
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