Security guards are a thing of the past. Improve your security with live remote monitoring
Uniformed guards are a venerable and ancient approach for providing security and safety. And they do provide distinct security advantages.
The mere presence of a uniformed security guard on a premise is often a sufficient deterrent to most potential criminal intents or acts of violence. And armed guards, of course, provide an even more potent deterrent.
Having security guards onsite means having personnel that can intervene to prevent a threat or criminal act and offer assistance when needed.
And it is this same presence that also provides a valuable sense of security for residents, employees, customers, or visitors at a facility. In a commercial setting such as a shopping mall or office complex, they can add to the perceived value and provide additional customer service support in certain situations.
But there are several disadvantages to relying solely on uniformed guards for your property’s safety and security.
They’re Only Human, After All
Back in the 19th century, the famous detective agency, Pinkerton, adopted the phrase, “We Never Sleep” as its slogan.
And, while this may have sounded comforting and expressed the desired sense of diligence and trustworthiness they were striving for, it wasn’t really true. Everyone has to sleep sometime. And eat. And be sick, or tired, or distracted.
We are, after all, only human.
And this is the inherent disadvantage of relying solely on uniformed security guards. They have all the limitations of any other human being in that they cannot be everywhere at your facility all the time. They cannot see in the dark. They cannot anticipate the intentions or actions of every individual they encounter on their watch.
And they are expensive.
In addition, security guards present other disadvantages, such as:
- Potential for liability in the case of injuries incurred or injuries caused
- Vulnerability to attacks and armed intimidation
- Being prone to lack of attention, diligence, and even falling asleep on duty
- Having limited “police powers” and ability to intervene or deter criminal acts
- Potential for aiding and abetting criminal actions, or being complicit in them
One firm that had been employed by the City of Norfolk in Virginia, for example, was fired after an investigation revealed years of problems and performance failures.
According to a story in The Virginian-Pilot,
“City officials documented nearly 100 incidents between 2015 and January when The Virginian-Pilot made a public records request for the document. The 97 issues documented with the private guards included at least 22 cases of not showing up for duty, 18 of not doing their job, nine of suspected theft, nine of being on their phone instead of working, and five of sleeping on duty.”
Needless to say, surveillance video cameras have none of these disadvantages or downsides. So, it stands to reason that a smarter, more comprehensive security strategy is to employ both uniformed security guards and video cameras.
Yet, even traditional surveillance video systems have limitations.
When Video Cameras Alone Are Not Enough
If a security breach such as a break-in were to occur in your facility and you have video surveillance cameras installed, you can go back and review the security footage. However, the incident has already taken place and, if there was a crime committed such as a theft or burglary, all you can do now is watch what may have been recorded.
As you review the video footage you might possibly see something that can help law enforcement officials identify the perpetrator.
Or not.
The problem is that even the best video surveillance cameras are nothing more than passive tools that can record a crime taking place. And even though the visibility of security cameras often serves as a deterrent to trespassing and other undesired behavior, it is a passive one and is not sufficient in every instance.
However, security cameras combined with a live remote monitoring system will provide the means for engaging and interacting with suspect individuals. Live remote monitoring allows professional Video Surveillance Technicians (VSTs) to monitor the video feed in real-time and, when needed, to audibly engage with individuals on camera.
All of this is made possible by utilizing your existing standard video monitoring system and integrating it with our proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) technology. In this way, any facility can be protected with live remote monitoring 24/7, even without the presence of security guards.
Your Live Remote Monitoring Security Solution
Live remote monitoring is a smart security solution that means no longer relying on security guards onsite. And by “smart” we mean it’s both a high tech solution and an intelligent solution.
But don’t let the “high tech” part make you think that it’s a costly or complex solution.
Live remote monitoring provides the deterrence and intervention that can complement, or even replace, the use of security guards for less cost, while providing comprehensive coverage with advanced video technology.
The deterrence and intervention involve the ability to issue audio warnings, which can reduce the risk of false alarms. In addition, our proprietary AI technology reduces the time required for surveillance.
A live remote monitoring solution is preferable to having only a security guard presence in most security situations. And even traditional security video systems fall short of providing an optimal solution, which is why many facilities still rely on security personnel in addition to security video cameras.
However, an optimal solution is a security video system that gives you the best of both worlds without the disadvantages.
Blue Eye offers a solution that provides just that.
And we do so at a surprisingly affordable price. Our system uses an AI-empowered managed service platform that requires no up-front capital costs. And we use your own cameras so there are often no additional hardware costs required.
Give us a call at 855.258.3662 or email us at [email protected]. Let us design an effective solution for your business!