230 likes | 407 Views
The Impact of CCTV in Public Places. Professor Martin Gill m.gill@perpetuitygroup.com. Martin Gill. Director of PRCI Professor of Criminology at the University of Leicester 11 Books and over 100 articles Fellow of The Security Institute, member of ASIS International, RSMF, Security Guild.
E N D
The Impact of CCTV in Public Places Professor Martin Gillm.gill@perpetuitygroup.com
Martin Gill • Director of PRCI • Professor of Criminology at the University of Leicester • 11 Books and over 100 articles • Fellow of The Security Institute, member of ASIS International, RSMF, Security Guild
Our Objectives • To undertake top quality research work • To provide practical outputs for those working at the sharp end • To give advice and recommendations based on evidence • To conduct first class evaluations
Our Research • Are security guards effective? • What drives illicit markets? • What causes indiscipline in schools? • How do shop thieves steal? • Are robberies preventable? • What causes false alarms? • Does CCTV work?
What is CCTV • How does a CCTV system work? • Analogue versus digital • Fixed, redeployable, mobile • Open, closed, covert • Static and pan, tilt, zoom • How are images transferred?
Where is CCTV located? • Cities and towns • Car parks • Within and outside organisations • Car parks • Residential areas • Within private homes
How is CCTV implemented • Bidding for money, how many cameras? • Project management • Engaging stakeholders • Third parties • Design and technology
The Control Room • What is a control room? • How are images assessed? • Monitoring behaviour Where are control rooms located? • How do they operate? • Who controls them? • How are images managed?
Issues and CCTV • Technology • Civil liberties • Public support • Police support
Research on CCTV • Most focus has been on static systems • Previous research is often weak • Concerns about methodologies used • Conclusions inconclusive • Most optimism is for CCTV in car parks
New Ways of looking at what works • Understand the offenders’ perspective, originally robbers now other thieves • Prison based interviews • Focus groups • Simulating thefts and conducting penetration tests • Experimental designs and realist evaluations
Pinhole Camera • A pinhole camera is attached to shop thieves and they are then sent off around stores to simulate thefts • The pictures provide a ‘thief’s eye’ view of situations and how they can be exploited • The thieves provide a commentary explaining how they are able to circumvent security loopholes
Assessing risk • Our aim has been to develop a better method of assessing risk by looking at offenders’ risk assessment • Understanding what measures work in what circumstances is crucial • Understanding the reasons why is important
How do offenders assess risk? • Consider the various points they may make decisions at • Consider why they do so and the decisions affecting them • Develop a response
Assessing Impact • What is CCTV supposed to impact on and why? • Understanding Context, Mechanism and Outcome
Proposed mechanisms by which CCTV may impact on theft • 1. CCTV may give staff more confidence to approach suspects • 2. CCTV may decrease staff vigilance as they begin to rely on it • 3. CCTV may be used as a management tool to increase customer satisfaction • 4. CCTV may allow the effective deployment of staff to areas where suspicious behaviour is occurring
Mechanisms • 5. CCTV may aid identification of trouble spots within a store or community • 6. CCTV may cause an increased actual rate of being caught • 7. CCTV pictures may be used as evidence for prosecution of offenders • 8. CCTV may decrease sales if customers dislike a store’s surveillance
Mechanisms • 9. CCTV may increase sales if customers feel that the store is and safe and secure place to shop. Similarly with town and city centres • 10. CCTV may cause an increased perceived risk of being caught • 11. The offender may move to other areas of the store where they feel they are less visible to the CCTV • 12. The presence of signs advertising CCTV operation symbolise efforts to take crime seriously and may influence the offenders’ perceptions of risk
CCTV Effectiveness • What is meant by effectiveness, what are the objectives? • The scheme design, implementation, stakeholder involvement, control room operations and procedures, relationship with the police all have an impact • In what conditions is the scheme operating, what is the context?
Perceptions • Around the world there is scepticism • In UK, the public are very supportive • The police have a mixed attitude but mostly good • Offenders say it will not put them off, unless they have been caught!
CCTV as a Prevention Tool • Does security work? • What makes a good risk assessment? • What makes for good prevention? • What more do we need to learn? • What do we need to do to make CCTV effective?
Summary • There is a lot we can learn from different types of evaluations • We can greatly improve the effectiveness of security measures • We are helping organisations to better assess risks and implement better and more cost-effective solutions
Professor Martin GillDirector Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International Ltd (PRCI) m.gill@perpetuitygroup.com