How Security Guards Monitor Multiple CCTV Camera Feeds

CCTV cameras are a necessary tool in security. Beyond providing evidence for investigations and incident prevention, they offer a wide range of uses that include improving security guard response times and detecting suspicious activity as it occurs. Security teams, from residential to retail security, rely on monitoring techniques to efficiently watch multiple camera feeds simultaneously. In this blog, we’ll discuss some of the techniques security guards use when monitoring CCTV feeds, as well as the tech tools that streamline the surveillance process. 

What Does CCTV Stand For?

CCTV stands for closed-circuit television. Unlike regular television, CCTV cameras do not transmit signals publicly. Instead, they transmit video signals to a limited number of monitors at a monitoring station or office. 

Why Are Surveillance Cameras Necessary?

Surveillance cameras are a proven method of reducing crime, with studies showing a 50% decrease in crime on sites that use security cameras compared to those without. While the presence of CCTV cameras is a powerful deterrent against crime, when coupled with security guards conducting live monitoring, surveillance cameras can significantly reduce security incidents. This ultimately leads to increased safety, reduced retail shrinkage, and improved brand trust. 

What Do Security Guards Look for on CCTV Feeds?

Security guards monitor for different identifiers depending on the site they’re protecting. For instance, a retail security guard will watch closely for shoppers placing items in personal bags, while a residential security guard will monitor for unauthorized access and unfamiliar visitors.

Here is a brief list of some of the most common identifiers security guards are vigilant for, regardless of industry:

• Frequent, direct eye contact with CCTV cameras.

• Individuals moving out of a camera’s field of view. 

• Face coverings or bulky outerwear.

• Loitering in certain indoor areas or on exterior property.

• Carrying large bags or backpacks. 

• Entering or exiting a building quickly, without acknowledging staff members.

• Individuals holding key-accessed doors open for others.

• Evidence of vandalism.

• Aggressive or disruptive behaviour. 

• Individuals experiencing a medical emergency.

Watch our YouTube video below featuring Blackbird Security's National Training Manager, Amir Anvarizadeh, as he details key signs that security guards should look for when identifying a potential shoplifter. 

Techniques Security Guards Use to Monitor Multiple CCTV Camera Feeds

Properties and businesses that benefit most from live CCTV monitoring have dozens of security cameras. This is especially true within warehouses and big-box retailers, which often use an array of cameras to cover their extensive interior spaces. When monitoring a large number of CCTV feeds, security guards may be overwhelmed or miss details if they don’t employ best practice observation techniques.

1. Studying the Environment

Security guards familiarize themselves with the layout of each camera view and build situational awareness over areas. This ensures that, when actively monitoring a familiar environment, they can quickly notice anything out of place or unusual.

2. Zone Categorization

Guards divide camera feeds into different zones, from high-risk to low-risk, and monitor them accordingly. This helps prioritize high-traffic and critical areas, such as entrances, areas with high-value merchandise, and secure or locked areas. 

3. Systematic Scanning

Security guards scan multiple feeds in a repeating pattern, such as scanning from a monitor’s top-left feed to its bottom-right feed. This prevents tunnel vision and ensures guards maintain an overview of all areas.

4. Split Attention Shifting

Rather than monitoring all feeds simultaneously, guards will periodically shift their attention between screens or groups of feeds. This can help reduce vigilance decrement, which is the decline in focus that occurs when monitoring for an extended period. 

5. Peripheral Monitoring

When something catches a security guard’s attention on one feed, they will remain aware of movement or changes in their peripheral vision across other feeds. This helps prevent decoy scenarios, such as during organized retail crime operations, where one shoplifter distracts staff while others steal merchandise. 

Technology-Assisted CCTV Monitoring

While security guards should practice observational techniques to effectively monitor surveillance camera feeds, they have a range of technical tools at their disposal to ensure thorough coverage. Here’s a brief overview of some of the most common CCTV monitoring technologies:

1. Centralized Video Management Systems (VMS)

A centralized VMS provides a single platform for managing, recording, storing, and viewing CCTV footage from multiple surveillance camera sources. VMS platforms combine feeds into a single, customizable interface, allowing security guards to switch between views and prioritize specific areas as needed. 

2. Video Analytics

Some VMS platforms incorporate AI and machine learning-enabled video analytics tools. These can be used to detect unusual activity, such as unauthorized access, loitering, or even the presence of specific objects. When video input triggers the analytics program, it can send an alert to the CCTV monitoring interface, allowing security guards to review and address potential incidents as they occur.

3. Motion Detection

Similarly to video analytics, although less comprehensive, many CCTV camera systems include motion sensors that trigger alerts when movement is detected within a camera’s field of view. On sites where unauthorized access is a concern, this tool is particularly helpful in alerting security teams to movement in restricted areas and ensuring guards can respond to incidents immediately. 

Partner With Canada’s Best Security Company

Real-time CCTV monitoring is one component of security strategies that should not be overlooked. Combining well-trained security guards with a comprehensive surveillance camera system can significantly improve the overall effectiveness of your business’s CCTV cameras, reducing theft, improving safety, and preventing security incidents from happening unnoticed. 

Interested to learn more about CCTV monitoring? Get in touch with our team and find out how we can help safeguard your property.