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are. Evaluation is also addressed in this tip sheet.

tip sheet 6

Establishing and implementing CCTV in your local area

Initial steps establishing CCTV as a

crime prevention strategy

Before establishing CCTV as a crime prevention strategy in a local area, the following steps arerecommended:

n an analysis of local crime should be undertaken

n establish whether CCTV is one of a number of measures that are required to address criminal activity and/or fear of crime

n establish clear objectives about why a CCTV system is needed to:

– effectively prevent or reduce crime in the area under surveillance (a deterrent for potential

offenders)

– improve sense of safety for general public in the area

– providing evidence that identifies offenders and events

n involve a local crime prevention or safety committee

n undertake community consultation before, during and after planning and installation.

n identify the potential police role and interest and capacity for involvement. It is important

to engage the people who will use the system in the beginning of the planning phase. Police

particularly need to be involved as they will be asked to respond to incidents, to supply

intelligence for installation and to make use of the images collected for evidence for prosecution later.

If possible, an initial trial of a CCTV system should be conducted. The trial may indicate if you need to modify or correct any problems.

Key implementation issues

Costs

n The costs of CCTV can be significant, there is the initial set up cost and then recurrent operating

costs. Systems that are actively monitored 24 hours will be the most expensive to implement andmaintain.

n Technology is also changing and there will be further costs associated with updating the system, as new technology becomes available.

n Recent research investigated how local councils funded their open air or shopping mall systems. Twenty-two percent of local councils that had CCTV reported they shared the ongoing costs of CCTV systems with other organisations, with a business levy or rate being the most common source of this funding (IRIS 2005).

Legislation

n It is important to be aware of and understand the implications of state or territory legislation that may affect the usage of CCTV and any images collected. The relevant areas to consider include but may not be limited to privacy laws, human rights, data storage and access, and freedom of information provisions.

tip sheet 6

Establishing and implementing CCTV in your local area

n Particular attention may need to be paid to any monitoring of private residences that may occur. The NSW guidelines suggest that in NSW no private residences should be monitored in the surveillance area without the residents’ explicit permission

(see www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/cpd/ll_cpd.nsf/vwFiles/cctv.pdf/$file/cctv.pdf)

Technology

n Skilled people who have knowledge of video production technology and the capacity to

implement a CCTV scheme need to be involved in decisions about the purchase of equipment and in its installation and operation.

n There are two types of camera, static or PTZ (pan, tilt and zoom) depending on whether operator controlled or not. In general, operators prefer PTZ but it is more expensive as it requires many cameras with overlapping vision.

n Australian standards for CCTV are currently under development by Standards Australia and may be available publicly by the second half of 2006. There are British codes of practice that contain much of the technical information that needs to be considered and understood when considering whether a CCTV system will work in local situations

(www.bsi-global.com/Security/Electronic/BS7958:1999.xalter).

Type of coverage and level of monitoring

n In Australia most local government operated schemes involve less than 25 cameras, and have colour digital cameras. Six out of ten CCTV systems in local areas have less than ten cameras (IRIS 2005).

n The same survey of local councils revealed that a third of systems are monitored 24 hours and nearly a third of systems are not monitored at all.

n Decisions regarding density of cameras and camera coverage and positioning are crucial to an effective CCTV system. Technical expertise and police intelligence information should inform decisions about how the CCTV system is set up in terms of placement and coverage.

n Lighting is important. Some areas do not have adequate lighting at night for CCTV systems

to be effective.

Managing and operating a system

n It may be necessary to employ an experienced project manager with relevant broad knowledge and skills to bring together a diverse set of personnel to work together to plan and implement what can be a complex project.

n Where local government cameras are actively monitored, different type of personnel may be involved in monitoring, such as council staff, private security personnel, police and volunteers.

n Procedures need to be in place to cover the day to day operation of the system and data storage and access. Operating procedures are widely used to provide instructions to control room staff, to regulate program operation and the release of visual material.

n Police involvement in the monitoring process makes for stronger linkages between surveillance and responses to incidents. If the police are not directly involved in monitoring, there needs to be procedures and resources in place to ensure there is an appropriate response to incidents. No response will effect community perceptions of the effectiveness of CCTV and its deterrence value.

tip sheet 6

Establishing and implementing CCTV in your local area

Monitoring and evaluation

n Accountability and external review can include a complaints procedure, signage that alerts the public to the presence of cameras, and audit committees.

n The impact of the CCTV should be monitored over time, in terms of community safety and fear of crime.

n NSW guidelines recommend evaluation in the first six months of operation.

n An evaluation can include the following:

– benchmark crime statistics for the area and adjacent areas for the 12 months leading up to

installation time

– crime statistics for the area and adjacent areas for at least 12 months after installation, to see if there have been any changes

– data on incidents where a response was initiated and no official intervention was required

(to capture other incidents other than those that would generate official crime statistics).

Further reading

Wilson, D and Sutton A 2003. Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No. 271:

Open-street CCTV in Australia, Australian Institute of Criminology 2004.

http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi2/tandi271.html

Australian Institute of Criminology 2004. AICrime reduction matters No. 18:

Closed circuit television (CCTV) as a crime prevention measure, Canberra, AIC.

http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/crm/crm018.html

Australian Institute of Criminology 2004. Closed-circuit television effectiveness and cost.

Crime Facts Info, No. 69. Canberra, AIC.

http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/cfi/cfi069.html

Gill, M & Spriggs, A 2005 Assessing the impact of CCTV. Home Office Research Study

292, London, Home Office

IRIS Research Ltd. 2005, Australian Council’s CCTV Survey 2005, Wollongong, IRIS

Research.

NSW Attorney General’s Department 2000. NSW Government Policy Statement and

Guidelines for the Establishment and Implementation of Closed Circuit Television

(CCTV) in Public Places, NSW Attorney General’s Department

www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/cpd/ll_cpd.nsf/vwFiles/cctv.pdf/$file/cctv.pdf

Welsh, BC & Farrington DP, 2004. Surveillance for crime prevention in public space:

Results and policy choices in Britain and America, Criminology & Public Policy;

Jul 2004; Criminal Justice Periodicals pg. 497

Posted from Australian Goverment Crime Prevention Programme

The NSW Police Force endorses the “NSW Government Policy Statement and Guidelines for the Establishment and Implementation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in Public Places”. The Government Guidelines are the basis from which to consider the development, management and operation of a CCTV program.

The NSWPF will:

·         Contribute to the assessment and planning phases, including initial research, risk analysis, setting objectives, camera placement and operational issues in a Program;

·         Through Local Area Command, determine the level of response to incidents identified by CCTV, according to available resources and existing priorities;

·         Contribute to the development of comprehensive Codes of Practice, Protocols and Police Standing Operating Procedures that clearly set out the operational aspects for a CCTV Program in a local area and are consistent with the Govt Guidelines. This would include practice principles encompassing, but not limited to;

·     

o   nature and level of involvement of the Police in management and operation of the CCTV Program;

o   roles and responsibilities of all agencies involved;

o   communication methods between police and the scheme owner/ managers;

o   the scope of police response to reported incidents, routine and urgent, including early identification of potential incidents to facilitate timely police responses.

Inclusions for a Code of Practice are found in the Government Guidelines at section 19, page 23. Appendix 2 contains an example of SOPS, found on page 29. The City of Sydney Code of Practice and SOPS may serve as suitable models.

·         Contribute to training programs for police and owner/ managers’ staff in CCTV operations;

·         Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the program.

The NSWPF will NOT:

·         Fund nor operate CCTV equipment;

·         Routinely monitor CCTV cameras. The Police role is to respond to incidents identified by control room operators. Monitor- control for specific incidents can be transferred to police in emergency situations, to assess incidents and determine appropriate response.

·         Be involved in a scheme that does not comply with the Government Guidelines.

Guiding Principles

The nine principles of the ‘NSW Government Policy Statement and Guidelines for the Establishment and Implementation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in Public Places’ address issues relating to privacy, fairness, public confidence and support, managerial efficiency and effectiveness, and police involvement in public area CCTV. All the principles are linked to the common elements which should constitute public policy on public area CCTV schemes.

These principles and policy elements should not inhibit the design of schemes to meet local needs and circumstances. Indeed, they actively encourage adaptation to particular neighbourhoods and communities. These principles assume that there are certain values that require universal consideration. Whenever any of these are not complied with, then public justification for such exceptions should be made.

The Ownership of Schemes and Its Accompanying Responsibilities

The ownership of public area CCTV schemes must be clear and publicly known and ensure appropriate public accountability.

Community Consultation

When considering setting up or significantly expanding a public area CCTV scheme, the relevant concerns of all parties potentially affected by the scheme should be taken into account through an effective community consultation strategy. Consultation will help to ensure that schemes meet local needs and circumstances, and that the operation of the scheme has the support of those affected by it.

Setting Clear Objectives

Clear scheme objectives should be set to guide the design, implementation management and outcomes of public area CCTV. A clear statement of objectives will provide a basis for effective monitoring and evaluation of the scheme and help to ensure that the use of CCTV is consistent with overall crime prevention objectives.

Integrated Approaches to Crime Prevention

The implementation of CCTV should be part of an integrated, multi- agency approach to crime control and community safety.

Police Involvement in Public Area CCTV Schemes

While the NSWPS should not fund or operate public area CCTV schemes, it should be closely involved in the assessment and planning phase, including risk analysis and evaluation. The SOPs for the scheme should incorporate protocols covering communication and liaison between the scheme operators and the police.

Managing and Operating Schemes

Schemes should be open and accountable and operate with due regard for the privacy and civil rights of individuals and the community.

The NSW Government Guidelines are also available on the Internet at www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/cpd - Publications.

Evaluation

Effective evaluation of schemes is essential in order to identify whether their formal objectives are being achieved. Evaluation frameworks should be developed at the planning stage of the scheme.

Complaints

Publicly accountable, impartial and fair schemes should have procedures for dealing with complaints.

Monitoring and Auditing

Audit is needed to provide an account of the operation by testing its compliance against relevant legislation and procedures and to be used as the basis of recommendation for improved practice.

These principles (page 4 of the Government Guidelines) are reproduced here in summary only and should be read in conjunction with the entire document.

Above information from NSW Police web site

There are four questions to consider when choosing surveillance cameras, all of which address the current lack of standards in video surveillance:
* How well does the camera work in low light?
* How well does the camera work in bright sunlight?
* How much detail does the camera provide?
* How hard is it to configure the camera for optimal image quality

Handling Low Light
As critical as low-light performance is for many security applications, it is also difficult to assess. While numbers are provided, they are not to be trusted. First, everyone measures low-light performance slightly differently, making it difficult to compare. Secondly, most manufacturers only include partial information. Third, there is no standard or definition of what an acceptable image is, leaving this up to the subjectivity of the manufacturer. Therefore, if you are trying to assess low-light performance, throw these numbers out, and do a test yourself in the location you want the camera to be deployed.
Dealing with Bright Sunlight
Problems with sunlight are not limited to outdoors. Anytime you have windows or doors that open to the outside (obviously very common), you are at risk to issues with bright sunlight ruining your surveillance video.

Cameras designed to address this are wide dynamic range (WDR) cameras. However, comparing the specifications of various WDR cameras is difficult. Often, cameras labeled WDR have no technical specifications, and those that do usually measure the range in dBs. However, it is not clear how much better an image is created with a 100-dB range than a 60-dB range.

Seeing Details
Capturing details of a scene is critical in determining if your camera meets its security objective, and it is also increasingly important for reducing camera count. The stated resolution of a camera is better viewed as the pixel “potential” than the definite resolution you will obtain. Also, with special concern for megapixel cameras, not all megapixel cameras, even those rated for the same pixel count, will deliver the same level of detail.
Determining Configuration
Cameras at trade shows or from manufacturer-supplied demos almost always look outstanding. This happens because manufacturers have technical experts who know all the camera’s configuration options and have significant experience experimenting with various combinations of settings (including lighting conditions).

As such, determining how well cameras work “out of the box” is important. If a camera’s image quality can only be made to work well with adjusting multiple settings, the risk of performance increases.

Axis news letter 2010

AXIS news letter 2010

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