Though closed-circuit television(CCTV) cameras have traditionally been used to protect businesses and other, larger buildings, many homeowners today are looking at installing these cameras to improve their home security. In the tri-county area, there is an excessively high property crime rate, with over 22,000 property crimes occurring each year in Miami alone. To help combat this, home owners and business owners alike are turning to CCTV cameras to help protect their most valuable possessions. With that in mind, consider some of the actual benefits of having video surveillance on your property.
The Visual Deterrent
The first advantage that comes to mind for most owners is the visual deterrent that a CCTV camera offers. There have been various studies done over the years on the effects of a security system, all of them favoring its ability to deter potential criminals.
In more recent years, Rutgers University performed a study where they found that those properties with security systems had a significantly lower rate of property crimes than those without. Another recent study at the University of North Carolina surveyed 400 seasoned criminals and found that 83% of them would avoid a property that had an active security system in place. In other words, CCTV cameras work very well at scaring away potential criminals.
Lower Insurance Premiums
Beyond simply offering your business or home a more secure environment, having security cameras can also help to lower your insurance premiums. Though this may vary depending on your insurance or industry, many companies will actually lower your rates because they recognize that your property is more secure. Some home owners use this to lower their premiums more than the cost of actually maintaining the security system.
In other cases, some businesses actually need to have a CCTV system in place if they hope to get insured in the first place. Many higher risk companies require this as an extra level to ensure that they cover their assets. If it is not required, many of these business insurers will offer a similar discount on the business’s insurance policy. After all, they realize that properties using CCTV cameras experience a much lower property crime rate, which means they are less of an insurance risk.
Peace of Mind
Perhaps most import of all, the best advantage that CCTV cameras offer is a peace of mind that you simply cannot get elsewhere. Even if the worst does occur and someone breaks into your property, these cameras will capture footage that could help lead to the arrest. With so many property crimes occurring each year, this footage can often mean the difference between catching the perpetrator and simply being left with a mystery.
Having CCTV cameras on your property ensures that you can always check in and monitor what matters to you. Whether that means setting them up around your home to ensure that your family is safe or adding them to your office building to prevent theft of equipment, these relatively inexpensive tools will offer exactly what you need for that extra peace of mind.