About 50% of all reported crimes in America remain unsolved.
Uh, that’s HUGE.
This means that if your business is burglarized, you have a very low chance of recovering your merchandise.
For this reason, beefing up the security of warehouses and preventing theft and or damage becomes an order of priority.
One way to do this is by installing extra eyes and ears aka- video surveillance.
Is video surveillance a good investment?
Mmh, considering the facts stated above- indeed it is.
Here are some advantages of having video surveillance at your place of business.
1. Monitor Hidden Areas and Back Alleys
It’s impossible to have eyes on each area of your warehouse.
But it is possible to have cameras looking out for your blind spots.
If your business has some dark spaces and alleys, these are an ideal area for criminals to scout your property as they plan an entry.
A video monitoring system enables you to view any suspicious activities in such areas and report them to the authorities before your warehouse is robbed or your employees are attacked.
2. Using Video Security for Warehouses to Prevent Crime
Most criminals want a clean job where there are no chances of being intercepted and where they can remain anonymous.
Surveillance, through video monitoring, deters crime to a large extent.
Having surveillance makes your business a slightly harder target, which reduces its chances of being earmarked for a burglary.
3. Catch Criminals
There is always a chance that criminals will still try to steal from your business, even with visible video surveillance on your site.
If a burglary or vandalism does happen, video surveillance allows you to record criminal activities.
The police can use the footage to identify, track down the thieves and possibly recoup some of your losses.
4. Track Your Products
Surveillance monitors are great because they deter both internal and external disturbances.
Unfortunately, at times, its unscrupulous employees that are responsible for the theft.
Employee-related theft is not uncommon. Your employees are insiders and therefore know what’s valuable and what’s not.
More importantly, they have access to valuable goods and equipment in the warehouse.
Having surveillance deters such employees from pilfering. And when they do, the footage can help you weed out the culprits.
5. Employee Safety
Video surveillance can safeguard your employees’ security by ensuring that they are safe while in the workspace.
You can go back and review video footage at any time. This makes it easy to identify any risks around your employees both in and outside your premises.
Are there, for example, unknown people that lurk around the parking lot?
Such external risks can be identified by installing cameras facing your parking lot and other entry and exit spots.
Action can then be taken to ensure the safety of everyone while at the workplace.
Aside from external threats, surveillance can also help you identify work hazards that could potentially harm your staffers.
OSHA places some responsibility on your part to create a safe environment for employees.
With information about safety concerns at your premises in mind and view, you can carry out safety training while implementing more effective safety measures.
Enhance employee safety in and around your premises.
6. Monitor POS Transactions
Employees, especially those handling cash can be tempted to steal from the business.
Aside from this, employees can give unauthorized discounts or allow goods to move out of the warehouse with their visiting friends and kin.
POS transaction surveillance is popular in institutions that handle larger amounts of cash such as banks.
However, they are increasingly being used in warehouses to curb employee misconduct.
7. Watch Your Loading Docks
Loading docks are another vulnerable area where thieves can gain access into your warehouse.
CCTV cameras can allow you to view who is at your loading dock at any given time and identify any unwelcome intrusion or suspicious activity.
At times, ordered goods will be dispatched but get stolen during loading/offloading. This is another area where you are able to monitor when you have video surveillance.
8. All Round Coverage
An efficient, well-designed surveillance system eliminates blind spots, providing better protection.
This can be achieved by installing multiple cameras in strategic areas to provide a security mesh that can be tracked from a single command center.
This eliminates human error in managing security matters and allows you a view of your vulnerable areas both internally and externally.
With a digital system, you are able to monitor your warehouse from any location in the world.
Digital systems come with distributed intelligence as well. There are software programs that can monitor video feeds to pick up events and activities specified via the recognition movement patterns.
Alerts are then generated and sent to specific personnel. This saves you from having to watch 24 hours of irrelevant footage.
9. Improved Business Environment
One by-product of such surveillance is that it minimizes your security liability by deterring theft and vandalism.
This is also a great way to reduce your insurance premiums.
Another benefit is improved productivity. While the aim of the surveillance is not to micromanage your employees, this is inevitable.
When your employees know they are being watched, they tend to follow rules more strictly.
This means fewer instances of lengthy breaks. Employees are also less likely to be seen standing around chatting or engaging in non-work activities.
Things to Keep In Mind When Choosing a Video Surveillance System
As software advances and surveillance evolves, you can get lost in the process of picking a system that’s best for your warehouse.
What are the key things to consider?
Here are a few questions to answer before you start shopping.
Do You Want Discretion or Visual Deterrence?
The function of your cameras will determine this.
Dome cameras are best for discretion while square cameras are conspicuous and let everyone know that they are being watched.
Box Cameras are great for placing out and around your warehouse. They will let you know if anyone is scouting your premises for mischief and their activities will be captured on camera.
If you are placing your camera in a visible, outdoor area, vandalism of the camera might be an issue.
You, therefore, will need to think about how to protect it. An easy way to do this is by having it encased, without affecting its ability to capture images.
Will Cameras Be Indoors or Outdoors?
Most modern cameras can be used indoors or outdoors.
However, it’s still important to make weather considerations, alongside mounting and casing decisions.
If your area gets extremely cold, look for a camera with a built-in heater so that it’s able to start and operate in low temperatures.
How Large Is the View Area?
The area you want to cover in your surveillance will determine the type as well as the network setup.
For example, PTZ cameras have a wide range of views and the amazing capacity to zoom. This makes them ideal for large areas.
When it comes to network, a LAN network (local area network) can work for most business.
However, larger networks will work best on the WAN (wide area) network.
How Much Clarity and Detail Do You Need?
The size of your warehouse will again come into play here.
Wider, larger spaces, require more powerful, high-resolution cameras to ensure that images are not compromised when zooming.
Smaller areas such as the reception can be adequately covered by smaller, low-resolution cameras. These come at a lower price.
How Is the Lighting?
It’s important to test several cameras and see which work best with your lighting.
The video surveillance company should also be able to make projections on how well the cameras will work under different lighting and in different weather conditions as well.
Light filtering technology such as artificial illuminators and IR filters can regulate the level of light reaching the sensors, creating clearer images day and night.
Is Scalability Important?
Are you anticipating growth?
If you are, then you need to go for a system that allows for scalability.
IP cameras which connect over wireless networks allow you to easily grow any installation as and when you need to.
What Is Your Budget?
Security cameras cost a couple of hundreds of dollars or more.
Having a budget in mind will help you narrow down your search.
Similarly, with this information in mind, your installation company will easily be able to advise you on what options are available based upon your budget.
This, as well as the video storage mode, should be considered carefully in your purchase decisions.
Knowing what your needs are and having an idea of your space size, climatic conditions and budget will go a long way in helping you identify the best systems.
The different needs in different areas of your space also mean that you can choose from different options.
This means you can go for less powerful equipment in smaller areas. In turn, such equipment will cost less.
Another money saving option is to go for used security cameras.
Protect Your Investment
Video surveillance enhances security for warehouses and ensures that your investment is protected from the inside out.
It also ensures you get the most out of your employees.
Mobile Video Guard is a premier security solutions provider that has successfully designed and delivered robust security solutions to an array of customers.
Contact us for an appointment, and let us discuss the best ways to protect your investment.
