In today’s world, as threats evolve and become more sophisticated, the need for skilled personnel to oversee monitoring systems in control rooms has never been greater. The role of a CCTV control room operator is critical in safeguarding assets, personnel, and operations, acting as a first line of defence, using human skills along with technology, including AI, to detect potential incidents, respond effectively, and maintain a safe environment.
This article examines the essentials to include in a job description for a CCTV control room operator. This job description is provided as a reference for anybody to use to write up their own documentation or to use as is, although each control room would probably have their own requirements and policies they would need to include.
The job description is formulated for free and open public or corporate use. Copyright remains with Dr Craig Donald.1
Purpose of job
To protect the site, people, resources, and operations using CCTV and other electronic security equipment to monitor, detect, and act on incident conditions and warning signs. To respond to conditions through the dispatch and alerting of appropriate resources, to gather evidence of involvement and outcomes, and to facilitate management actions to handle any events or emergencies for the organisation. To enhance site operations and develop a positive image of security by constructively handling all control room communication in a calm, composed and service orientated manner.
Job description
• Identify perimeter and site intrusions, and the unauthorised presence of people on site using the CCTV system and other electronic security systems.
• Monitor CCTV for signs of crime incident behaviour, and violations of rules and procedures, including safety protocols on site.
• Monitor site operational or production processes to identify deviations, breakdowns, or shortfalls in performance.
• Integrate conventional and AI information from internal system sources and external information databases, to make onsite decisions on possible risks and threats to site.
• Use appropriate static and PTZ cameras to capture essential operational information and appropriate evidence of incident or crime scenes during and after the event, including tracking people of interest across the site.
• Communicate circumstances of all events and emergencies to response personnel and relevant organisational and external contacts according to situational and SOP requirements in a calm and composed manner.
• Coordinate and brief response personnel on updated incident scene conditions and most effective routes to the incident location.
• Receive incoming calls and radio communication, identify key aspects of communication, and respond clearly and appropriately.
• Ensure that the collection of CCTV footage and processing and handling of recorded material of incidents meets evidential integrity requirements.
• Identify and respond to alarms according to SOP.
• Track and monitor status of vehicles of special interest and adherence to route requirements as necessary.
• Target high-risk areas, events and conditions for special monitoring.
• Conduct reviews of CCTV footage to audit or analyse incidents or high-risk areas.
• Analyse and classify incident information for inclusion in site reporting system to meet internal intelligence needs.
• Maintain occurrence book and logs of all incident events in a clear and factual manner.
• Deal with client/customer queries in a professional and courteous manner, resolve concerns or possible conflict situations, and promptly arrange a logged response to query.
• Conduct camera and system checks to ensure equipment is working, and report and log all equipment failures in a timely manner – identify and report failure to rectify faults within specified parameters.
• Monitor and audit access control and search points to ensure appropriate service quality and effectiveness of security personal in those areas.
• Maintain control of access to the control room and logging of all visitors.
• Adhere to control room rules, regulations, and security standards.
Qualities of operator
• Observation and visual analysis skills.
• Trained in crime behaviour detection and analysis.
• Maintain concentration and vigilance for long periods of time.
• Maintain a calm and composed manner under demanding conditions.
• Emotional resilience to handling incidents of a violent or difficult nature.
• Computer skills and data entry and interrogation.
• Able to maintain confidentiality of control room and event information in work and social conditions.
• Able to analyse video events for relevant information and evidence purposes.
• Able to listen carefully to communication during an incident and remember essential details including names, addresses, personal circumstances.
• Conflict management.
• Telephone and client handling skills.
• Communicate to others clearly and effectively.
• Report writing and incident logging.
• Evidence and crime scene handling.
Job requirements
• Minimum of Matric.
• Computer literacy.
• PSIRA registration.
• Appropriate security officer grade.
[1] The job description is formulated for free and open public or corporate use. Copyright remains with Dr Craig Donald. Neither Dr Donald nor Advanced Development Applications will be liable for any use or implementation of this job description. It is purely provided as a public resource to be used at the discretion of any user, who is free to adapt this content to their own site. Sale of this content is prohibited.
About Craig Donald
Dr Craig Donald is a human factors specialist in security and CCTV. He is a director of Leaderware which provides instruments for the selection of CCTV operators, X-ray screeners and other security personnel in major operations around the world. He also runs CCTV Surveillance Skills and Body Language, and Advanced Surveillance Body Language courses for CCTV operators, supervisors and managers internationally, and consults on CCTV management. He can be contacted on
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