Advice please to buy a CCTV system

[MSIC]

Hi, i know very little about CCTV systems, but some advice would be great.
My mother-in-law is having some of her property vandalised, recently was either the 3rd or 4th time, and she's having to pay a few hundred quid each time to get it cleaned. We think it's a malicious attack but need proof, so are trying to catch the person doing it on CCTV. We are certain that it's not just kids, or random, due to arguments she has had in the recent past with workmen.

We therefore need something with good resolution, night vision is essential (the side being attacked is on a dark country lane and the police will not permit a night light to be installed in case it affects drivers), and i'm uncertain if continuous recording is needed, or motion sensitive etc.

It also wont be specifically connected to a PC, although i do have a broadband-connected router in the vicinity, perhaps for accessing from a different site? Not essential though.

Any help is very much appreciated, i have no specific budget, although the reason it hasnt been bought already is because she thinks it'll cost a few grand, and i'm certain it could be done for under £1000.
Would something like this Qnap device be adequate? Are the camera's weatherproof?

[Blackbadger]

Systems like that qnap are nice, from the fact that they are a all in 1 integrated system. Providing a easy to use interface etc.

However they are also totally useless. The camera's are of so poor quality even in bright daylight you wont be able to make out a strangers features other than the colour of the hair/skin. Here is a example shot taken.



Night time use - you will be only able tell there is movement, a usable infra-red nightlit camera will require 35+ LED's to work properly, more depending on range. These qnaps provided ones are not for outdoor use either :/.

You can easily get a great system for under £1000 probably half, buy you will require some further research. Maybe a electronics store you can walk into which, will show you working examples would be a good start.

[mycarsavw]

I had a similar thread a few months ago, check posts started by me for some ideas.

The only thing I'd change is adding two N/V cams instead of the D-Links, everything else is perfect and well under your budget.

[MSIC]

Cheers chaps, thanks for that.
A call with a mate last night informed me that for legal (prosecution) purposes, CCTV cameras are required to have a minimum level of resolution (although he didnt know what that was).
I think i might need to get a specialist involved.
Thanks for help anyway

[wesleyaldred]

Hi,

This one is very good for the price, has network support / remote access as well and night vision is pretty darn good, we tested it here at Scan, you just need to purchase a hard drive and away you go.

CCTV System

[Saracen]

Cheers chaps, thanks for that.
A call with a mate last night informed me that for legal (prosecution) purposes, CCTV cameras are required to have a minimum level of resolution (although he didnt know what that was).
I think i might need to get a specialist involved.
Thanks for help anyway

It's not so much (as I understand it) that that there's a specific resolution required, but rather that a whole series of criteria have to be met for use of CCTV for prosecution.

For instance, there needs to be clear and accurate date/time recording. If it can't be established that the footage relates to a specific date, it's going to be hard to relate it to a specific offence, and the evidential use probably just went out the window.

Similarly, the quality needs to be sufficient that the accused is clearly identifiable. Just how good that needs to be is really down to the court to decide. As far as I know, there's no way of doing it short of that. Professional monitored CCTV will often zoom in to clearly identify and individual, and then zoom out to capture the context of what they're up to. But that requires a zoom function, and probably pan/tilt/rotate, and it requires someone operating it to do it. It's not really practical for a home system, even if someone is monitoring it.

Furthermore, you need data security and audit trails. If there's noway to be sure that images haven't been tampered with, and we all know what image editing software can do in the hands of a skilled individual, then again, it;s of no use for a prosecution.

There are British Standards, though, that should ensure evidential quality recordings from equipment, provided it's correctly installed and used.

But it's also worth bearing in mind that using CCTV can get you into legal trouble. For a domestic user, the Data Protection Act doesn't apply, but for other users it does. There are simplified procedures for small installations, but most will need to be registered under the Data Protection Act, and operated in a compliant way.

But even if the DPA doesn't affect you as a domestic user, the Human Rights Act provisions on privacy do. If you keep the cameras pointing only at your own property, you're pretty safe, but if they cover a neighbour's property (without their permission) you're on dodgy ground and you might have issues even if they just cover the street. And if you've got one pointing though a neighbour's teenage daughter's bedroom window, you'll be lucky if all they do is call the police.

Oh, and if you have the type of pan/tilt/rotate system I mentioned earlier, then the privacy issues are compounded if it can be adjusted to access neighbour's property. Personally, I would object vehemently, and via a lawyer if need be, if someone installed a CCTV system that pointed in my windows, or perhaps even onto my back garden ... unless the later was done by agreement with me.

If you're wanting CCTV to support a prosecution, I'd suggest that it's certainly worth trying to get the police involved, if only to find out what they require by way of data storage security, audit trails and so forth (and I'd doubt they'd recommend specific equipment), and that you could find it gets complicated and fairly expensive in a hurry..

However .... I'd also point out that evidential standards only really apply if the footage is going to be used in court. Even if it's not, any CCTV footage might well be useful to the police in identifying individuals, even if they can't use it to prosecute them. It also might help eliminate other individuals. It also helps in coaxing honest statements out of the guilty, especially if they don't understand what can and can't be used and are stupid enough to talk to the police when they're nicked before getting legal advice.

And finally, even if it's not up to evidential standards and the police don't use the footage in any way, the mere presence of cameras might be enough of a deterrent to stop incidents occurring in the first place. But, and you want to think about this too .... they can also act as a red rag, as a challenge. A friend of mine found his CCTV installation specifically became a target for young tearaways, and you might find you increase the level of trouble. So if you're going to put up cameras,they probably want to be of a type, and at a height, went they aren't susceptible to vandals throwing stones or poking broom handles at them.

[MSIC]

I appreciate all that, especially Saracen's reply. Always well informed stuff
Sounds like she really will need professional involvement