CCTV or Manned Guarding? Which is More Effective?

CCTV or Manned Guarding? Which is more effective? Many companies are having doubts about whether to choose CCTV cameras or Manned Guarding to secure their premises. Many factors come into play, like the economic side to it, the efficiency of both the options, availability and accessibility. Both are vital parts of any security system, and one should not jump to any conclusions without giving a nice thought about what would fit best for them. Let’s take a look into both the options and briefly discuss what they provide and what they don’t.

When you have a CCTV camera system set up on your premises, the first and foremost benefit that you get is having your premises secured for 24 hours – unless there is a technical problem or if the system is under maintenance. A CCTV camera system lets you have footage and access to the places in your premises where a manned guard might not be able to reach or get access to generally.

Since most security systems are connected to a server online and on the cloud these days, a CCTV camera system can help you – the business/premises owner – take a look whenever and from wherever you want, via the online access applications. And of course, they can be accessed on premises by a manned guard or whoever is present in the server room as well.

A CCTV camera system also gives protection against false liability lawsuits. The security footage can usually be stored for up to four to six months which provides you with a good enough window in the case when someone files a false liability lawsuit against you. That way, you, as the business/premises owner, can have solid proof against them.

A significant downside of the CCTV camera system is that it leaves a few blind spots, if not a lot. Most security companies will try not to leave a blind spot behind while installing the CCTV camera system on your premises. However, there are still chances of having some blind spots. Though it might not make a massive difference on a day-to-day basis, the same blind spots could be a big loophole in the system in times of crisis. The other downside of the CCTV camera system is the technical failure and the maintenance period during which the system would stay down.

Now that we have talked briefly about the CCTV camera system, let’s talk about manned guards.

With the manned guards’ system in place, you can ensure that even if a CCTV camera system is not installed on-site/premises, the human touch can maximize the practical functionality of any equipment you decide to have on your premises. In addition, a manned guard system can overcome the issue of the blind spots that the CCTV cameras might generally leave behind.

Also, having someone watch over the footage from the CCTV cameras would be like an add on benefit. Since if something shows up in the footage, the manned guards can quickly act on it.
A manned guard is someone who is almost always on the site, caring about what they are actually doing. They can be someone whom you can rely on, who can act in a time of crisis. Most manned guards are trained and qualified for the job and know what they are doing. On top of operating technology well, some manned guards can handle arms too, if needed on the premises.

While some may choose only CCTV camera systems, some may go for manned guard systems only. Some would prefer both. At the same time, it is advisable to have maximum security on your premises. What and how you do it depends on the owner of the premises. However, if you ask us, we would say that a manned guard system stands one point above the CCTV camera systems. Again, while both are efficient and effective, you can choose what suits you best.

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