We’ve all become very used to the idea that we are being watched practically everywhere we go but how true is that really? How often are security cameras checked and are they genuinely being monitored at all times?
Some security cameras are actively monitored the entire time that a store is open, and even after hours, while others will only be checked if and when an incident might have occurred. Ultimately, it is not possible to tell whether or not someone is actually watching.
Read on to discover what is going on!
Do Employees Monitor Security Cameras?
Security cameras are everywhere. There are not many retail stores that you will go into nowadays that do not have some kind of CCTV system installed, but they aren’t all built the same.
There are a lot of different ways that these kinds of systems can work and there are a lot of different ways that the staff and store owners actually utilize them.
To get an idea of whether or not there might really be someone watching the live footage from the cameras in a store, let’s talk about a few of the most common ways that they might be being used.
Camera Footage Is Only Checked After An Incident
For stores that do not have a lot of staff on hand to check the live footage from their cameras, they may not monitor them in real time at all.
Some retail locations only use their CCTV system to gather evidence after some kind of incident has occurred and they do not have somebody actively watching the cameras during the day.
Live Footage Scrolls On A Single Screen
Rather than purchasing a large monitor screen that can visualize the footage from all of the cameras at once, many smaller stores will opt to have a single, smaller screen that has a rotating live feed from the cameras. That means that they can only see the footage from one camera at a time.
These screens are usually visible to employees but they might not be actively watched all the time. They could be situated behind the checkout where employees can glance at them every so often, or they might be located in a manager’s office for the manager to keep an eye on when they can.
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All Camera Footage Can Be Viewed At Once
More robust security systems will make it possible for every single camera feed to be visible at the same time. This could be through a wall of multiple monitors or via a single larger screen.
These systems are more common in larger retail stores and they are much more likely to have a security employee, or group of employees, whose primary role is to actively monitor the feed from all of the cameras.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is scrutinizing every second of what happens in the store, but it does mean that someone is actively checking throughout the day.
Camera Footage Is Monitored Remotely
There are an increasing number of security systems that offer the capability for the footage to be viewed remotely, and watched by someone who is not anywhere near the store itself.
This could be a central security hub for a chain of retail stores, or it could be a remote CCTV monitoring station that might even be monitored by a third party.
These systems are designed to make it as easy as possible for someone to be actively checking the cameras all of the time, even if they are very far away.
Can You Tell How A Store Monitors Their Cameras?
The next question is, is it possible to know which of these methods a store is choosing to use? The simple answer is no.
Even a very small store that does not have a visible monitor displaying its security footage could be live-streaming the feed to a remote monitoring station.
At the end of the day, each company will decide for themselves what kind of security camera system they want to use and how they want to monitor it – and the range of options is expanding all of the time.
What was once only possible for very large businesses with huge budgets is becoming accessible to local mom-and-pop stores all over the world.
When Do Security Cameras Get Checked?
If there isn’t someone sitting at a desk with the live feed from the cameras in front of them, then how often is someone going to go in and take a look at the footage? Again, this is a question that is hard to answer since there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Each store has a different policy, but it can be very time-consuming to watch every minute of footage from all of the different cameras that a store might have in place. Some companies might give a general review of their store footage daily, weekly, or monthly but they will often only look closely at what the cameras have captured when they have something to look for.
Most retailers don’t spend time looking at their security footage unless they are either gathering evidence of a particular incident (like a shoplifting offense) or they are analyzing for another specific reason – like investigating shrinkage or looking for inefficiencies in the way the business is operating.
That doesn’t mean that shoplifters who are not spotted in the act are unlikely to get seen on the cameras, though. Most stores keep pretty meticulous records of their inventory and will review their security footage at the end of the day if items turn up missing.
Then, they can start to gather evidence and consider whether they want to try and press charges straight away or wait for the offender to return to collect more evidence and make their case even stronger.
A lot of retailers now have full-time Loss Prevention teams whose entire role is dedicated to investigating, monitoring, and pursuing retail crimes.
How Long Do Supermarkets Keep Security Footage?
If an incident does occur at a store and they do want to pull the footage from their cameras, how likely is it that they will be able to? How long do they keep the footage so that it can be checked? Once again, there is no definitive answer.
Most security camera companies give suggestions for how long the footage should be stored, with a minimum of around 30 to 90 days being quite a common recommendation.
Some stores may keep their footage for much longer though, and they may even pay for external or cloud storage to allow them to keep it indefinitely.
In the past, a lot of smaller stores would struggle to keep the footage from their cameras for more than a few days because the files are large and take up a lot of space on a hard drive, but advancements in computer technology and storage options have made it infinitely easier for big video files to be tucked away for when they are needed.
Summary
So, how often are security cameras checked? Well, it’s very hard to say.
Some stores will only take a look at their camera footage when they are investigating an incident that has already occurred, some stores will have a live feed that is occasionally glanced at by a checkout employee or a manager in their office, and other stores will have dedicated security employees actively watching the footage at all times, either in the store or at a remote monitoring station.
You can’t immediately tell just how much these cameras are scrutinized, and the technology is improving every day.
Reference Sources
https://www.supermarketnews.com/archive/making-thieves-think-twice