Why security lighting makes all the difference

By Farsight Security
01 Apr 2020 5 min read

Good lighting means it’s easier to see things – but easier for who? 

Don’t be mistaken into thinking that we mean security lighting is the be all and end all of security measures. It’s actually often a poor deterrent to criminals.  This blog post on crime prevention suggests that external lighting is not as effective as better deterrents including clearly signposted CCTV, weighty and difficult to access doors and windows and an intruder alarm. Of course, lighting has benefits beyond deterring intruders – it provides safe entry for homeowners, better road conditions, reassurance and it helps with navigation.

The Guardian asked a panel of ex-criminals to rank the most effective deterrents for burglars – where lighting only ranked no.10. Interestingly, CCTV cameras being present on site ranked no.1.  However, having enough light for our CCTV remote monitoring operators is important. The article can be read here.

Lighting systems have progressed over recent years, with many options of security lighting and security cameras available that are now equipped with infrared (IR) lighting. IR lighting has actually become a vitally important part in the prevention of many crimes because IR lighting is barely visible to the naked eye – except a faint glow directly in front of the IR emitter.

This means the intruder is left in the dark – and there’s no light pollution to neighbours or distraction to nearby drivers. The security cameras, however, are sensitive to IR and the result is ‘night vision’ when footage is viewed via the camera.

White light – what we would expect to see emitting from a security light – is visible to the naked eye, illuminating sites to the advantage of intruders in many cases.

Indeed it seems to make sense that a well-lit area is easier to break in to. An intruder can easily identify weak spots and targets when they’re brightly lit. However…

Security lighting is essential when it is used in conjunction with other security measures.

When used in conjunction with CCTV, lighting becomes a powerful tool for security operators to quickly identify and act upon illegal or dangerous activity. Especially when that security lighting is IR.

Without security lighting, CCTV during nighttime hours becomes a tricky game of “spot the intruder”. In fact, we’ve taken a snap shot from one of the security cameras we monitor, which has particularly poor security lighting. See if you, at a second’s glance, can spot the intruder:

Bad security lighting

So, yes, the intruder is in the top left hand corner. But imagine how quickly that intruder may have moved – it is only a second that their shadow would have been visible in the tiny bit of light showing. It’s a remarkable testament to the skills of our operators that they managed to rapidly spot the intruder and act upon it!

Bad security lighting - reveal

From there on in, if the intruder dodges into the darkness again, you can imagine how it quickly becomes a guessing game for the operator: has the intruder left? Are they simply hiding? Have they managed to enter the building?

Without security lighting we’re literally left in the dark – and so will be the security of a site.

As the daylight hours change throughout the year, assessing your security lighting needs to be made a priority.

CCTV monitoring stations are increasingly dependent on good security lighting to allow them to do their jobs effectively, which simply is providing peace of mind to site and home owners.

Here are a few tips on making sure your security lighting is up to scratch:

  • Change the timing on your security lighting to correspond with the current daylight hours.
  • Remember that we are in the UK and days can almost be as dingy as the nights . If it’s a particularly rainy and dark, does your site need lighting during the day too?
  • Heed warnings from your CCTV and alarm monitoring station, if they say the lighting is poor – then it most likely is!
  • Check all your lights are in working order: clean, bulbs in tack and so on. Get in touch with your maintenance team if they’re not.
  • Check the placement of cameras. Again this may be a job for your security integrator, but it may be worth reconsidering where your lights are placed and if they cause bad shadowing or miss crucial areas. Think about potential access points and high-risk areas – if your CCTV camera is monitoring that spot, is it well lit?
  • Consider IR security lighting, in conjunction with the right cameras. This way you’ll be benefitting from intruders being in the dark AND your remote monitoring station having a lucidly clear image.

On a year-round basis, it really is worth investing in your security lighting as a means of supporting CCTV systems

You can clearly see the results good security lighting has. The individuals in these snapshots are easily spotted, making it much simpler for us to issue a warning via the security systems speakerphone telling the intruders they must leave the site. Ultimately, if the intruder does not leave the site after the warning the good lighting will allow us to track their movements until the police arrive:

Good security lighting

What is your experience of security lighting? Are you a security installer who finds it difficult to predict the level of lighting needed? Or do you want to upgrade your security lighting, but you’re just not sure how much to invest? Our team of remote security experts are here to help, simply drop us a line here.


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