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Security monitoring is changing

Security monitoring is no longer just a burglar alarm-monitoring centre, when alarms are triggered and a response is made with a telephone call to the owner to verify whether he or she is home. An armed response vehicle is dispatched to real and false alarm situations, wasting manpower.

CCTV monitoring has been growing in the past few years, but its effectiveness is still questionable, as guards are still required onsite. False alarms are generated by ineffective camera analytics, bad camera placement and the incorrect technology utilised for the wrong applications.

Too much dependency is on technology and this is the downfall of the entire monitoring process. Technology can not make the correct decisions required to stop the crime or even prevent it from taking place. The security profession is a skilled one and so much technology is put into place as aids to the security practitioner, yet crime is still such a major factor in our country today.

What this means is that even though we have all this wonderful technology, low-skilled security personnel monitoring is always going to be less effective than it should be.

The above should not be the case anymore, as solutions have been developed to manage and integrate the human factor into security. Security as a service needs to change. It should not be left up to technology to protect our premises and assets only, interactive management between clients, technology, emergency services and security services such as the police should be handled in real-time with direct interaction between the operator and the client’s premises and would-be perpetrators.

Security control rooms should become service centres and start managing every aspect of clients’ homes, such as electricity management, where money can be saved by clients because the centre is shutting down geysers and electricity power outlets that are not in use. The service centre can answer intercoms remotely when the doorbell rings giving the visitor the illusion that the house is always occupied. Lights can be switched on and off randomly, which is a very simple and effective way for preventing crime.

Effective management of offsite monitoring can only be done by people that are trained to do so and technology is only seen as an aid to these individuals. The way security is handled today needs to change drastically if we plan to combat crime effectively.

Surveillance service centres are the key to managing security much more effectively, below is a typical operation.

The surveillance service centre will give control rooms the ability to monitor crime in crime hotspot areas in real-time. The key is to give control rooms the ability to command and control any crime situation that is taking place, and where the police require the gathering of real-time intelligence so the correct operational decisions can be made.

The surveillance service centre should relay all video and audio information from the crime scene to multiple emergency services and police vehicles in real-time so the correct decisions can be taken by the operational personal on the ground and tactical decisions can be made in real-time limiting the loss of life and the public at large.

The solution provided by the centre is based on the following technology concept: the centre connects all existing burglar alarm and closed circuit television systems via a unique multiple protocol converter. This will allow users of existing systems to link to the centre without needing to replace existing security technology.

Shane Jacobs, consultant for JRJ Consultants

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