Welcome to the
"Co-veillance" Section
of
Doktor Jons
Guide to Closed Circuit TV (CCTV)

Reasons to be Covert ...

The simple mention of covert or hidden surveillance cameras, almost always conjures up immediate visions of ‘Big Brother’, that's the book with the Orwellian state ..... not the TV show!

And yet the truth can be far from what most reasonable thinkers might assume.

For very many years now, the less than obvious use of hidden cameras in broadcast TV programmes (Candid Camera etc.) have been applied as a form of mass entertainment, and hardly anyone has ever complained about that.

Occasionally, hidden cameras have been discovered being used by unscrupulous employers, in less than appropriate situations; toilets and changing rooms being the less palatable examples.
It’s this type of unwarranted use which is most likely to create damaging publicity and widespread outrage.

And yet, their are an increasing number of situations where the use of covert surveillance (Co-veillance) can be easily justified.

In practice, covert cameras are generally used for two specific reasons; the obvious one being as a key element in gaining evidence for an ongoing criminal investigation; theft of computer equipment, fraud and drug dealing being obvious examples.

The other, and perhaps less well understood, is as a technique for providing enhanced security on sites exhibiting a particular risk.

The most common example might be, where existing highly visible ‘overt’ cameras are installed (primarily) as a deterrent, but are themselves vulnerable to attack, which could compromise the overall integrity of the entire security system.

To explore this situation further, consider as an example the main pedestrian access points to an isolated art gallery.

Hardly surprisingly, their are an abundance of highly ‘nickable’ treasures held within the building, and CCTV is perhaps the most important level of protection, apart of course from the alarm system.

Continued

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