Surveillance cameras have been around since 1942 when the first one, invented by Walter Burch, was installed at a rocket launch site in Peenemunde, Germany. It wasn’t long after that that banks installed them to help prevent and solve crime. Since then, the growth of the surveillance industry has been fast and furious, and they are now used in all government buildings and offices, as well as in high traffic areas in cities.
For businesses, including retail stores, and restaurants, surveillance cameras are necessary. Most shoppers and diners know that there is surveillance nowadays, and so crime prevention has been much better. But surveillance also helps in solving crimes by providing images of robberies, assaults, traffic accidents, and murders.
Surveillance cameras are also used in public places like airports, and train and bus stations. It is said that in the UK, for every 14 persons, there is 1 surveillance camera. Cameras are monitored in special monitoring stations 24/7 so there are images in real time of potential crimes.
Many times, surveillance cameras are used in industrial complexes, in places where it is not safe to enter, or entry is forbidden, like nuclear plants and chemical plants. In some of these environments thermographic cameras are also used to monitor the temperatures in these high-risk areas. Residential areas also use residential intercom installation and home security systems to make their homes safer.
Unfortunately, criminals also use surveillance cameras to track the comings and goings of people in businesses, restaurants, convenience stores, and residential areas. So those businesses, homeowners, and industries have to do their utmost to stay several steps ahead of potential crime such as commercial video surveillance system replacement.
Surveillance is here to stay. Those who cry “invasion of privacy” will have to make their peace with this truth. The world’s emotional and political climates have forced this fact upon us. For businesses, due diligence is absolutely necessary for the prevention of crime.
