Guard Tour Patrol System VS CCTV: Which One Is Better?

Difference b/w CCTV VS Guard Tour Patrol System? Which One Is Better?

We are living in a time where crime is increasing rapidly day by day. And due to technological advancements, its methods are also becoming new and unknown. To counter this, people resort to the help of private security companies. These firms make use of several methods of countering crime, such as CCTV cameras and guard tour systems. The debate between the two has become very important in the security industry. Both have their benefits and drawbacks as well, as no system is built perfectly. CCTVs and a guard tour patrol system both play an important role as deterrents against crime. They act not only as visible deterrents, but also provide you with an efficient security system.

Choosing between the two can be a very difficult choice given their benefits to consider. Some may say that CCTV cameras are a sensible choice. Whereas, some might argue that a guard tour patrol system is the way to go.

Let us talk about what either choice offers to us, and what we might lose from making that choice.

CCTV Cameras (Video Surveillance)

CCTVs are a security system that have become increasingly popular within the last few years. The many technological advancements during these years have helped CCTV systems to effectively help in catching criminals.

They allow you to keep an eye on what is going on around a certain part of your business (where the camera is present). Most CCTVs have the added benefit of recording and archiving all footage, which might come in handy later.

However, let’s look at a few factors that make CCTV lag behind as the trendsetter in the security community.

Limited Coverage

Having an impact on criminals to act as a visual deterrent, CCTVs tend to stand out wherever they are present. However, you are to always remember that they provide incomplete coverage of your business. They provide a live view of only an area that they are present in, and no further. Such a system always has blind spots that can potentially jeopardize your business operations.
If you wish to see the real-time footage of what is going on further ahead, you will have to either remotely change the direction of the camera or install another camera that covers the field of view further along.

Choosing either of these options involves more expenditures from your budget. This makes CCTVs seem like an unworthy investment, giving off only a few benefits.

You will always have to employ someone who has to look at the live footage coming from the security cameras. Fitting extra cameras will also lead to extra, unnecessary expenditures, making CCTVs seems like a bad choice.

Lack of Consciousness

Even though some CCTVs might contain AI technology, they can never match the human mind. These AI features might include recognizing and reporting potential threats. However, CCTV cameras can’t take any action against them on their own, unlike in a guard tour patrol system.

The human mind houses many wonders, the main being emotions. A security guard can sense and process information, unlike any machine. After seeing an intruder, the guard can choose how he will act and can take immediate action.

For instance, a guard would shout a verbal warning, or warning shots to scare off an intruder. If the situation escalates, he might call for backup; the “panic” button might come in handy. However, such actions are not possible by a CCTV system that lacks any understanding of human behavior.

This is unlike CCTVs where only alerts will simply be shared with the control room. Thus, video surveillance once again falls back.

Technical Issues

Being able to run all day on electricity, CCTVs may be seemingly preferable in the long run. However, you should always remember that they are a machine, after all. They can also face unexpected errors which may cause them to suddenly stop working. This will put your business at risk.

Thieves or criminals could take advantage of a weak time like this and use it to their benefit. This could be a chance of bringing great harm to your company for them.

For example, you could suddenly lose internet because of some external issue. Or the servers of the CCTV camera could fail. This would cause a sudden disconnection of all video surveillance, bringing your company down to its most vulnerable positions.

As compared to a guard tour patrol system, this is extremely disappointing. Mostly due to the lack of human involvement.

In guard patrol systems, human involvement is present at almost every step of the way through digitization of processes. This involvement means that guards would patrol your premises 24/7, all day. This would lead to a much safer and secure system than one with chances of malfunctions.

Hardware Issues

Whatever the material be, all hardware items are vulnerable in one way or another. The same is the case with CCTV cameras. In months of extreme heat, heated equipment can cause problems for your security setup. This will cause video surveillance to run into problems.

For example, during the summers the plastic upon the wires may welt and damage the wires. This will cut off the connections of the CCTVs to the control rooms. Sparks might also have to be dealt with because of plastic coming into contact with the exposed wires, leading to a fire.

Thus, this will not only put your security at risk but will also jeopardize your business operations as well.

If guard tour patrol systems are compared with CCTVs concerning such issues, they are the obvious go-to choice. Involving the least amount of exposed hardware, they face no such issues.

A guard tour system, therefore, guarantees efficient safety services as compared to CCTV cameras, which may contain several potential problems.

Now let’s take a look at guard tour patrol services; where they lack and where they excel!

Guard Tour Systems

The invention of the guard tour system came as the result of the immense technological developments of the past few years. They are efficient systems that help in tracking and logging the patrols of security guards. Providing several features in their systems, they are the way forward in the world of private security.

Guard tour patrol system is in much demand amongst people. This is because of the high level of security that they can provide. This reputation has helped such systems to secure many clients for their use. After all, customer satisfaction is the aim!

Let’s look at some of the advantages guard patrol systems seem to provide:

Simplicity

Guard tour patrol system has made not only the guards but their supervisors’ jobs easier.

In the past, guards had to mark their handwritten attendance in a notebook. This was a time-consuming process with a chance for several mistakes.

However, guard tour systems made this process automated using handheld devices for guards to scan at checkpoints. This automatically marked their attendance and sent the details to their supervisors, along with uploading them to an external server.

This digitization of processes made things not only quicker but more efficient as well. A guard tour system helps to complete such tasks quickly and efficiently. On the other hand, a CCTV can do nothing except transmit live video footage of an area. The choice is obvious in this case!

Accuracy and Accountability

Guard tour patrol system help your system to record accurate details, unlike in the manual operations of tasks. This helps in precise details being recorded and stored in the servers. If the details are correct, this would help in forming accurate reports as well.

Accurate reports would help in bringing about much accountability of the employees.

There is a legitimate chance of data being tampered with when it is recorded manually. This leads to a lack of accountability in your company’s security. Such circumstances can be extremely dangerous to your business, as it can put its security’s efficiency in danger.

Guard Patrol systems help to solve this very problem. Employees will think that this system is merely making their job easier. However, it will record all their details precisely. If they are found to be avoiding any of their duties, punishment will come accordingly.

Thus, you will have a secure system in which everyone will be held accountable for their actions.

Wide Coverage

Security Guards are an essential part of guard tour patrol systems without which they can not function. These guards have to spend long hours patrolling a company’s premises.

These guards are to visit a specified number of checkpoints throughout each day. This ensures that guards are patrolling all places and aspects of your property and it is being kept safe. It also guarantees that the guards are doing their work responsibly.

Unlike in CCTVs which only show video surveillance of a fixed area within their view, guards can roam around freely. This helps them to see and identify threats that a video surveillance system otherwise might not.

Data Analysis

Data Analysis is an extremely important thing, especially when monitoring of large areas is to be done. Their reports help in pointing out inefficiencies, such as lazy employees. They might even help tell you the weak spots of your system, for example where your employees lack.

This is an extremely important aspect of a guard tour patrol system that needs to be considered. This is because it is what helps in making a patrol system so efficient.

Never can one expect any kind of report from a mere CCTV system that transmits video. However, a guard patrol system does all this for you and much more, all automatically.

However, all the glitters is not gold; at least not entirely gold.

Using a guard tour patrol system has its drawbacks, though only a few, that are discussed below:

Randomness of Patrols

Unlike in a CCTV system where the area being watched will be under constant supervision, guards are not able to cover all areas at all times. During patrols, at some time, unsupervised areas are bound to spring up sometimes.

As patrols are random or uncertain though limited to a single area, this proves to be a problem. An accident may potentially happen when no guard is around. Or someone might trespass on your property when the guards are patrolling in the other direction. This will prove to be a major threat to the security and integrity of your business. Therefore, this is where conventional security cameras take the lead.

Financial Burden

Hiring security guards is no easy task. Security firms look for the best fit of guards for their guard tour patrol systems.

You will have to look for a specific criterion of youngsters who will fulfill your requirements as security guards. The hiring process will take up both the time and money of your administration.

After you have hired a guard, he will need essential training for such a job. This will also require funds to arrange for a training program for all new employees.

After you’ve hired these guards, you will need to provide them with snacks, for example, tea and biscuits, for their breaks. These will also be bought using money from the company’s treasury.

Thus, even though security guards are the more efficient option, they aren’t as pocket-friendly as one might expect.

Final Word

After considering all the points above, you would be wondering: “the answer is obvious, I’ll get my company a guard patrol system”

Yes, you won’t be wrong in assuming so.

However, you should note one thing to maximize the efficiency of your company’s security. The best way to ensure this is by availing both these facilities.

You heard me right! By taking advantage of both CCTV and guard tour patrol systems together, your business will be as secure as ever. Practically untouchable.

This will give you the dream security you have always wanted. A secure business will finally ease your worries. It will help you to focus on other areas of your business, those that demand your attention.

Therefore, all because of a well-informed decision, your business will be booming, on its way to success!

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