There’s been a lot of press recently regarding the comments made by Detective Chief Inspector Mike Neville, head of Scotland Yard’s Visual Images, Identifications and Detections Office (Viido). He mentioned that CCTV cameras are not acting as a deterrent to criminals as many assume they are not working. Whilst Britain only has one per cent of the world’s population, it has 20 per cent of the world’s CCTV cameras, one for every 14 people. However, Mr Neville’s comments stem from the recent statistic that only three per cent of London’s street robberies have been solved using CCTV images.

ATEC believes that this statistic and subsequent lack of confidence in CCTV has arisen due to the quality of CCTV cameras in the UK. Many CCTV systems produce images that aren’t of high enough quality to be used as prosecutable evidence. This means criminals remain uncharged and results in a very low statistic to represent crimes that are caught and solved using CCTV.

However, it isn’t only the standard of image which is poor. The technical abilities, such as zoom range and even installation positioning (CCTV facing in the wrong direction), appear to be sub-standard on the whole.

Public space systems are, for the most part, implemented according to Home Office Scientific Development Branch guidance and best practice. Camera systems are designed in accordance with an operational requirement document and camera positioning is determined from crime statistics and risk assessments. Private CCTV systems, which police also use to help solve crime, currently outnumber public space systems by a vast margin. Typically, however, these are not installed to the same guidelines and deliver poor footage as a result.

Organisations such as the BSIA are working hard to produce and promote guidance and best practice, but, until CCTV is regulated more tightly, improvement in standards will be a slow process.

If standards are better regulated and combined with the rapidly accelerating development of CCTV technology, such as advanced facial recognition and advanced analytics, CCTV will become a vital part of the criminal justice system.