Using Warehouse Security Video Camera Systems

Warehouse surveillance video can be very powerful. However, in many cases, it isn’t used to its full potential. Often, warehouse security video is only viewed after the fact to determine what happened in a situation.

For instance, it might be watched following a crime to figure out how the break-in took place and what was stolen, or after an accident to get more details about why the situation occurred. While this can be useful, it’s important to know that warehouse security video can be used in many more effective ways.

It’s possible to use surveillance footage to prevent crimes and accidents from happening. How? With live remote monitoring.

Ways to Improve Warehouse Security

Warehouses are common targets for criminals. There are several reasons why. The first is that they typically contain a large amount of valuable assets. Criminals want to steal directly from warehouses because they can easily resell what they’ve stolen on the black market.

Most warehouses are also quite large facilities, so criminals can often get in and out of them without being spotted. This is why, in most instances, warehouse security needs to be focused on and it often needs to be improved.

When you think of warehouse security, there are likely a few different types that come to mind. The first may be security guards. Onsite guards are common at many warehouses. One reason why is that they are an active type of warehouse security. Active security means any type of protection that can react to situations as they develop.

To understand the difference between active and passive security, consider the differences between a security guard and an alarm system. If a suspicious person is lurking around the outside of a warehouse, a security guard may notice them and react to get them off the property.

An alarm system, on the other hand, won’t be triggered until the person enters somewhere they’re not supposed to be. This means the criminal will already be on scene and in the process of committing a crime before anyone can react.

This gives the criminal time to get what they’re looking for and get out before anyone can stop them.

What is Live Remote Monitoring?

A live remote monitoring service is a tool that makes it possible for trained security agents to watch over and interact with your property remotely. There are several advantages to this service.

The first is that it is a proactive type of security. Monitoring agents can see the entire property and look for potentially suspicious or dangerous situations. For example, they can see if an unidentified person is pulling a truck up to your gates or trying to tamper with a lock.

If this happens, agents can communicate with the site using two-way speakers. They can tell the person that they are being watched by a live security team, that they must leave the area immediately, and that the police will be called if they do not comply.

The threat of active police involvement will almost certainly scare the criminals away.

The monitoring team can also watch for safety incidents at your site. For instance, if they notice that staff are not wearing proper safety equipment, they can use the speaker system to remind them of company policies. They can also watch for potentially dangerous behaviour, such as someone climbing a shelf or driving a forklift in an unsafe manner.

In any of these instances, agents can use two-way speakers to prevent the dangerous action, but they can also supply the footage to company management. This can help management determine if additional training is needed.

Preventing crime and accidents is considerably more valuable than simply having information about it after the fact. That’s because crimes and injuries are costly. They take time and money to recover from and they can hurt morale as well as the reputation of an organization.

Comparing Live Warehouse Surveillance Video Services to Other Tools

Live monitoring is powerful because it is an active way to keep a location safe. Of course, it is not the only way to accomplish this goal. Another common way to keep warehouses safe is onsite security guards. However, there are some important differences between guards and live monitoring that should be addressed.

• Onsite guards cannot see every area in a property
  • Even if you have many guards working in your warehouse (which can get quite costly), they simply cannot see every single part of the property at once. This means they could be missing a criminal lurking in the dark or a potentially dangerous situation in another area.
  • Live monitoring cameras can be installed so agents can see every inch of a property. Plus, these cameras can be overlaid with artificial intelligence (AI) to drastically improve security. AI can be trained to spot situations immediately and alert agents who can then deal with the issue.
• Live monitoring is often a more cost-effective tool
  • As mentioned, having many security guards stationed at a property can quickly get very costly. Live remote monitoring services are usually available at a similar cost – and are often less expensive – than onsite guards while delivering a more comprehensive service.
• Warehouse security video footage is valuable
  • With onsite guards, if a situation occurs, you will need to depend on their memory or their notes (if they have any) to determine exactly what happened in a situation. With live remote monitoring, there is always a video record of the scene. This can be very useful for training purposes or to help keep your site safer and more secure.

When a live monitoring agent spots a suspicious situation, they will immediately use the two-way speaker system to communicate with the site. They will tell the suspicious person that they are being watched and the police will be called if they do not leave the area. In the vast majority of situations, criminals leave immediately.

That’s because they know that, if police are called and they are told that live agents are watching a crime in progress, they’ll likely place a higher priority on the call and arrive at the scene sooner. This makes it much more likely that they’ll be caught in the act.

For more information on live remote monitoring and how live warehouse surveillance video can keep your site safe, please contact Birdseye Security Solutions today.