cctv surveillance

The advent of television has revolutionized the way we perceive our everyday lives. The earliest use of CCTV surveillance was in big departmental stores where it was nearly impossible for sales people to monitor customers, do sales, keep a check on the cash and also keep standing for the entire working shift.

Keeping the ubiquitous black and white cameras near the cash register during heavy sale season and monitoring it is also a boring job for many. Whether it is present at the bank locker, jewelry store, shopping mall or BPOs each premises requires monitoring.

So is CCTV surveillance in India doing its job effectively? Moreover, ever since it was introduced it has not really stopped a suicide bomber to enter the railway station nor it has deterred a thief to take sneak preview before decamping with valuables. Yes with the help of images sometimes they are caught but many of the culprits remain untraceable unfortunately. While in India we are still looking at possibilities of usefulness of CCTV surveillance, in developed countries the equation is changing.

Most people are questioning the use of the equipment in public places. There are special laws, which make the use of CCTV cameras in certain installations illegal. People can also sue the agency monitoring within permissible limits if it infringes on their privacy. This happens mostly in case of celebrities and well-known citizens who are caught on CCTV grabs and the images are sold for profit.

One case where CCTV surveillance helped was when actress Winnoa Ryder was caught shoplifting and was tried in court for stealing garments in a high value store. In UK the laws referring to Human Rights bar the use of CCTV images if they hurt the sentiments of ethnic people.

CCTV usually transmits signals to a closed group of monitors unlike in broadcast signals, which beam all over. The most important areas of use include military installations, airports, railways, industrial units, banks and also casinos, cinema houses. The earliest recorded use of this equipment was in 1942 in Germany.

 Since then UK tops the list of CCTV surveillance use which is close to 55, 000 cameras which monitor practically every citizen’s movement in public places and some high sensitive zones.

Now CCTVs are used for entertainment-i.e reality shows and films, traffic signals-for speeding vehicles, during parades also. As long as the pair of eyes monitoring the movements is alert the surveillance is useful..