According to Crime Stats SA, common robberies are up to 51,733 reported cases in 2019 from 50,666 in 2018, indicating an increase in business and household robberies.

With unemployment at an all-time high, times are tough and criminals are getting bolder as a result.

How do we secure our businesses and homes in response to this rising threat?

A modern CCTV solution comprising 4K and thermal cameras, a video management platform with intelligent analytics is a good place to start, giving business and homeowners peace of mind knowing that there are eyes on their property at all times.

By placing CCTV cameras where they're clearly visible, criminals are forewarned that there's someone watching over that particular home or business.

Forming part of a holistic security system, surveillance isn't just for the wealthy or for big businesses anymore.

Today, surveillance technology is now affordable, accessible, easy to use and maintain and provides value for money in terms of security benefits.

In addition to acting as a criminal deterrent, CCTV surveillance provides eyes onto the property without requiring human presence, making it possible to monitor the business or home 24/7 completely off-site with the right video management system (VMS) in place.

What kind of surveillance cameras are we talking about here?

For most domestic and small business applications, it's likely that they will benefit immensely from a combination of ultra-high definition cameras (also known as '4K' cameras) and thermal cameras.

Strategic placement of 4K cameras in areas that require detailed visibility, together with thermal cameras along the perimeter will ensure complete visibility in all weather and lighting conditions.

Including 4K cameras in the surveillance design is a good idea for businesses and homeowners, because they can cover a larger area with the right wide-angle lens, which means fewer cameras will be required.

Providing exceptional clarity in picture, 4K footage retains detail even with digital zoom, making it possible to visually identify a suspect along with greater insight into the area under surveillance.

Thermal cameras operate without the requirement of light, delivering a consistent image through rain or sleet, night or day.

Combined with intelligent analytics, these cameras are capable of detecting the difference between a human and an animal, which is instrumental in eliminating false alarms.

Thanks to video analytics software, it's possible to instantly search video footage for a specific incident, reducing the workload on security personnel, and improving resource efficiency.

The system can be configured, after assessing all risk areas, with user-defined rules, that will trigger an automated response if those conditions are met.

In other words, if a human crosses into an unauthorised access zone, an alert from that camera will be sent out (via email or SMS) to the necessary personnel and they can then dispatch the appropriate security response, based on the visuals made possible with remote access.

*Smith is an executive at Graphic Image Technologies