Farsight kicked off the New Year with an ‘auditory’ bang this 2021, deterring thousands crimes before they progressed further. During the month of January alone, Farsight’s ‘eagle-eyed’ CCTV operations team delivered 6,929 audio deterrent warnings.
Audio warnings can be an effective deterrent when issued by our CCTV security operators who have live incidents in their sights.
What are live audio deterrent warnings?
Audio warnings are announcements made via a site’s security system. These announcements can be heard at the site but are issued by security operators based away from the site, normally at a remote monitoring station
The audio deterrent warning process:
- A security detector installed at a site detects unusual activity.
- The CCTV cameras will start to record footage.
- This footage is then sent to the remote monitoring station where the security operator will review it.
- The security operator will work to identify the cause of the alarm and at the same time start to monitor live footage from the CCTV cameras.
- If the operator sees an unauthorised individual at the site they will speak into a microphone.
- The operator will say a warning into the microphone, which is transmitted live to the site.
- The intruder will hear the announcement.
It’s important to note that, in this case, the audio warning is a live announcement:
The announcement is made in reaction to an alarm and it is not pre-recorded. A live announcement makes the intruder aware that they are being monitored live and that the police will be notified if necessary.
What is said in an audio warning?
Because we only ever issue live audio warnings here at Farsight, we are able to tailor them to the situation.
Our standard audio warning is:
<<Your attention please, this is a security announcement. You’re being monitored on live CCTV. This is private property, please leave now or further action will be taken>>
An audio warning, in the majority of cases, will deter the intruder and return the site to full security again.
See how audio warnings work in this video:
Why are audio warnings so important?
Audio warnings make security a preventative solution. Without audio warnings, CCTV footage would simply be recorded and reviewed retrospectively – after the damage has been caused.
Audio warnings will deter intruders from a site – they will become aware that they have been spotted and that the CCTV footage could be used in evidence. Not only that but they will be aware that the police will be notified if the situation escalates. As a result, thousands of pounds could potentially be saved, which could have been lost due to damage and theft by the intruder.
Security operators will issue an audio warning rapidly. Security operators are trained to react quickly, according to a response agreement.
Do audio warnings actually work as a deterrent to intruders?
In February 2020 alone we delivered 10,105 audio warnings to sites across the UK. Usually, only about 1.5 per cent of those audio warnings need to be escalated to calling in the emergency services. Generally, 99 per cent of incidents can potentially be diverted as a result of audio warnings.
In some cases, however, brazen intruders can remain on the site despite audio warnings from our security operators. It’s in these incidences that we see the importance of CCTV remote monitoring beyond giving audio warnings.
If an intruder does remain on site security operators will continue with the site’s agreed response plan. This may include contacting key holder’s to make them aware of the situation and calling the police alerting them to the intrusion. Again, this process will be carried out with the upmost urgency.
See the effects of an audio warning given by one of Farsight’s CCTV operators
In this clip, intruders are intent on gaining access to this particular commercial site.
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Following an audio warning being given, these intruders leave the site before any further damage was done or entry to the site was achieved. Obviously, in these sorts of cases, the keyholders and/or police are informed.
If you want peace of mind that your property, people and assets are being protected by proactively preventing incidents – we can help. Or if you are an installer looking to partner with us, we would love to speak.
Our remote monitoring experts are on hand to answer your queries and tell you about our cost effective remote monitoring packages, simply complete the contact form below. Alternatively, feel free to give us a no obligation call on 0845 371 0101 or you can request a call back.
