CCTV for local councils

Safe City CCTV
CCTV for Local Councils
Luke Percy-Dove
May 2013

Safe City CCTV ‐ CCTV for Local Councils

Rev 1 – © Matryx Consulting Pty Ltd, 2013 Page | 2

Contents

Starting Out ............................................................................................................................................. 4
What can be gained from CCTV? ............................................................................................................ 4
What can CCTV Do? ................................................................................................................................ 5
Working Groups ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Engagement / Consultations ................................................................................................................... 6
Complimentary Initiatives ....................................................................................................................... 6
Defining an Outcome .............................................................................................................................. 7
Budget ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
The Consultants Role .............................................................................................................................. 8
Infrastructure .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Communications ................................................................................................................................. 9
Support Infrastructure ...................................................................................................................... 10
Power ................................................................................................................................................ 10
Equipment Hosting ............................................................................................................................... 10
Local police station ........................................................................................................................... 10
Council Premises ............................................................................................................................... 11
Policies, Procedures and MOUs ............................................................................................................ 11
Technologies ......................................................................................................................................... 12
Transmission and Communications .................................................................................................. 12
Fibre Optic ........................................................................................................................................ 12
Wireless ............................................................................................................................................ 12
Cameras ............................................................................................................................................ 12
Video Management System ............................................................................................................. 12
Key Points to Camera Selection ............................................................................................................ 13
Scalability .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Tender Specifications ............................................................................................................................ 14
Contractor Selection ............................................................................................................................. 14
Project Management & Deployment .................................................................................................... 15
System Commissioning & Hand Over ................................................................................................... 15



Monitoring ............................................................................................................................................ 15
Active monitoring ............................................................................................................................. 15
Passive monitoring ........................................................................................................................... 16
Ongoing Maintenance ........................................................................................................................... 16
Overcoming Privacy Concerns .............................................................................................................. 16
Grants Applications ............................................................................................................................... 17
About the Author .................................................................................................................................. 17
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................. 17



Starting Out
So, you have decided you need CCTV in your local area and want to understand how to go about it.

This paper is designed to provide you with high‐level information to allow you to make informed
decisions and to progress in a way that is efficient and logical. It will spell out the steps you need to
go through from the initial decision right through to system commissioning and sign‐off.

It is not intended to be a design guide or to give you tips on CCTV equipment and selection. Good
CCTV design can get highly complex and technical and as such designing a solution specific to your
environment should be left to the professionals.

We will discuss technologies and some
of the key terms that are common to
the industry, but only to give you an
understanding of what is what in the
world of CCTV.

If CCTV sounds scary or daunting, it
doesn’t need to be. It seems to be one
of those topics that can polarize
opinions at times and often based on
misinformation. We will cover off
some of these points later in the
document as well.

There is a lot to consider, but hopefully this document will give you a better understanding of CCTV
and simplifies the entire process for you.
What can be gained from CCTV?
There is much to be gained through strategic CCTV placement within a local council area.

I say strategic, because every CCTV system needs to be deployed in accordance with a defined
strategy that has the key outcomes of the project in mind. As such, careful thought and
consideration needs to go into every design to ensure that the project is a success.

A well designed CCTV system can:
 Reduce the risk of crime and improve the feeling of safety in the community
 Improve the confidence levels of people moving in and around the area
 Allow police or security staff to intervene in incidents to stop them from escalating into
something more serious
 Aid in the reduction of anti‐social behavior
 Reduce the number of serious assaults and the associated medical costs of which are borne
by the community
 Reduce the risk of vandalism and graffiti
 Impact the presence of drug dealing
 Assist in the displacement of local crime



CCTV can play a key role in local council and community crime prevention initiatives.
What can CCTV Do?
CCTV can undertake a variety of roles which are typically decided by the client’s needs, the
environment and the key outcomes of the project.

Some examples of what CCTV can do include:
 Aid in the Identification of persons of interest
 Track persons of interest ‐ where they have come from and where they went to
 Detect left and/or removed objects, rubbish dumping and graffiti tagging
 Track and record motor vehicle movements
 Incorporate Number Plate Recognition
 Provide real‐time video feeds for police to monitor local hot‐spots
 Provide an independent witness account of any incidents
 Incorporate mobile wireless access for police and council staff so video can be viewed from
patrol cars or council vehicles
 Incorporate public access Wi‐Fi as a community service
 Incorporate help points for communication with members of the public
Working Groups
One of the earliest steps will be the formation of a working group or committee to lead the project.

Working groups should comprise council members who can add value to the project and who bring a
level of expertise to the discussions. These could include people who have responsibility for
infrastructure, environment, public safety and security, engineering and information systems.

The working group should also comprise members who can provide input on council owned
infrastructure that may be required to be used as part of the CCTV deployment.

This will include:
 Power availability to camera locations
 Network or communications infrastructure to provide connectivity between cameras
 Buildings or traffic or light poles for the hosting of wireless links and associated
infrastructure

Working groups could also include local community groups such as retailers and other interested
groups.

Community consultation is often a large part of any CCTV deployment to public areas. The public will
want to understand why and where the cameras are being installed, their purpose, and who will
manage the information and protect their privacy.



Engagement / Consultations
The first group I would recommend you engage with is the local police. Now while this sounds like an
obvious first step, the reason I recommend police is that they will be able to bring qualified input to
the discussion.

By this I mean they will be able to tell you exactly where the trouble spots are, the hours of the day
incidents occur, and their current policing issues. Most importantly they will be able to provide
factual crime data to support their arguments for or against a CCTV deployment. This data will be
important which will become clearer when we look at outcomes and begin measuring the success of
the project.

Police are likely to be the only group that can bring
substantiated data to the discussion. Regardless,
there will be merit in engaging with other groups that
may include:

 Retailers
 Residential Groups
 Park users
 Citizens groups
 Sporting groups

From my experience, many people will want to have input into any solution. I would recommend
engaging with those groups that have been directly impacted by crime or could be impacted by the
installation of the new CCTV system.
Complimentary Initiatives
CCTV is just one initiative in making our streets and neighborhoods safer. The best outcomes will be
achieved when complimentary initiatives are introduced to support any new technologies.

Complimentary initiatives could include:
 Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) initiatives which looks at the
streetscape from a whole range of perspectives including general layout and landscape
design, pedestrian flows and encouraging multiple points of view
 Lighting to ensure an appropriate level of light is available at all times and does not promote
shadows or opportunities for concealment
 Foliage management, to ensure that plants and trees do not promote concealment or
restrict views of the new cameras
 Encourage the electronic recording of drivers’ licenses at points of entry of pubs and bars so
that incidents can be more easily investigated by police
 Have a graffiti management strategy in place that ensures graffiti is removed almost
immediately
 Neighbourhood Watch programs
 Retail traders alliances that encourage involvement for local business owners and groups
 Crime Stoppers – Encourage people to get involved and report incidents



Defining an Outcome
It will be important to define an outcome of the project, and ideally one that is measurable. Project
outcomes will vary between councils and may or may not be the same as any other council has
agreed. It is important that any defined outcomes are specific to your project.

Outcomes of a new or expanded CCTV installation could include:
 Assist police with prosecutions
 Provide a greater feeling of safety and security in the community
 Provide a public service
 Deter or displace crime
 Reduce crime
 Reduce levels of vandalism
 Reduce costs associated with graffiti
 Reduce levels of violence
 Mitigate public liability exposure
 Monitor vehicle and pedestrian traffic levels
 Increased incident interventions
 Identification of offenders
 Reduce costs to the community associated with severe assaults
 Raise awareness of increased focus on security and safety

The project outcome is very important as all good CCTV design should stem from the defined
outcomes of the project. It is very difficult to design and propose a CCTV solution if council is unclear
on what the key outcomes are in the first place.

If the outcomes remain unclear, answering these three questions may assist in defining them
further:

1. What do you hope the installation of CCTV in your local area will achieve?
2. What would you hope to see in any recorded footage?
3. What result do you expect to achieve from the recorded footage?

If you need further help, ask your security consultant to sit in on the discussions and provide some
guidance for you.
Budget
The budget for any CCTV system will need to be qualified very early in the project. Budget will
dictate many factors associated with a new CCTV deployment including:

 Technologies used
 Camera number, quality and type
 Areas of coverage

A small or less than requested amount of funding does not mean that something worthwhile cannot
be achieved. I have been involved in projects where $30,000 was enough to install three high‐



definition CCTV cameras as well as recording equipment and wireless transmission links to send
video to a local police station.

CCTV systems are fully scalable and can be expanded at
any time as further funding becomes available. Future
expansion should be discussed with your design
consultant so that this can be considered in the initial
system design.

In fact, if system expansion is a real possibility in the
future, the initial system design will need to allow for
this.

To give you an example of what Safe City projects have cost in the past, here are a few past projects
as a guide:

 $30,000 ‐ 3 fixed cameras, wireless transmission links, 30 days recording
 $300,000 – 18 fixed cameras, fibre network, servers and 30 days recording
 $200,000 – 21 fixed cameras, wireless network, servers and 40 days recording
 $200,000 – 6 PTZ cameras, 9 fixed cameras, wireless network, servers and recording
The Consultants Role
The consultant will play an important part in designing a solution to meet the defined outcomes of
the project.

If the project outcomes have not been identified, the consultant will walk you through the process
so that the outcomes become clear.

He or she should be an independent consultant that is not aligned with any product vendors,
manufacturers or system installers. They need to represent your best interests at all times so it is
important they bring total impartiality to the assignment.

They will need to be skilled in product and technology selection and be able to advise you on the
pros and cons of any product or service offering that may be presented to council over the course of
the engagement. They need to be your resident experts, sitting on your side of the table during all
stages of negotiation and system implementation.

They should be able to advise you not from just a technical perspective, but also a commercial
perspective. Which systems are open and non‐proprietary and which solutions will be more cost
effective from a maintenance perspective? On face value, many systems will appear to be much the
same. Your consultant will be able to point out the differences for you.

A consultant’s fee will typically be less than 10% of the total budget and they will protect your
budget and ensure you get a measurable outcome. They will also sign off on any installation so you
know you got exactly what you paid for.



10 Steps your consultant can manage for you:
1. Assist with grant applications and the preparation of any documentation required in support
of the application
2. Advise on the most appropriate system components and technologies to use and where
they should be installed
3. Prepare preliminary cost estimates to ensure what is proposed is within budget
4. Engage with utility providers where required
5. Undertake the design and documentation of the proposed solution
6. Prepare technical specifications suitable for tender and assist with contractor selection
7. Oversee the installation and sign‐off at project completion
8. Advise on the ongoing management of the system once installed
9. Provide input on Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) and policies that will be required
once the system becomes operational
10. Advice on any and all technical, installation or operational issues or queries that may arise
during the course of the engagement

They can also bring in supporting expertise to assist such as lighting, CPTED, training, OH&S and
other 3rd
party consultants as required.
Infrastructure
Once the preferred camera locations have been agreed, appropriate infrastructure will need to be
identified to support the placement of equipment at the nominated locations. To achieve this,
suitable power, communications and support infrastructure will need to be identified.
Communications
It is unlikely that there will be existing communications infrastructure in place to support the new
CCTV system. This would require fibre communication cables in most instances to be located in very
close proximity to the proposed camera locations. From my experience, this is unlikely.

While it might be common in major capital cities, it is less likely in metropolitan or regional town
centres. If fibre is available, it will most often be owned by one of the major Telco’s which would
mean it could be leased, but probably at significant ongoing expense.

As a result, it is common for most CCTV systems to end up with
dedicated wireless networks being installed as part of the project.
Fibre could be installed but it is typically far more cost effective to
go with the wireless option.

This is not a bad thing. Wireless networks are highly reliable, have
no ongoing costs associated with them and require little
maintenance. Once installed, they will be owned by the council
which means they could be used for additional community
services such as public access Wi‐Fi, public broadcast, event
management, evacuation or even emergency alerts in some areas.



Support Infrastructure
The cameras and wireless links need to be hosted somewhere. Often they will be located on traffic
lights and poles which are usually ideal locations but it will mean that permission needs to be sought
from the utility provider before this can occur.

If utility companies are not cooperative, alternate locations will need to be identified such as council
owned or private buildings to locate the equipment on. In all the projects I have been involved in, I
have always been able to find appropriate locations to accommodate the field equipment. It can just
take a little bit of time if the utility companies do not want to get involved.

If it is obvious that utility owned infrastructure will need to be used, I recommend that engagement
starts immediately as the approval process can often take some time.
Power
Local power will be required at each location for both the cameras and wireless links. If the
equipment is to be located on utility owned poles or infrastructure, they will probably need to
approve power supply as well. They may insist that an approved contractor undertakes the power
installation which is not unreasonable.

If the cameras and communication links are going on private buildings, a commercial arrangement
may have to be agreed with the building owner to supply power. Power consumption will be very
small and can be calculated so that compensation can be agreed.

Your security consultant can assist with this.
Equipment Hosting
One question that will need to be considered is where the CCTV recording equipment should be
located. Essentially there will be two choices to consider.
Local police station
The local police station is the popular choice amongst councils and most often police are happy for
CCTV equipment to be located within their stations. The advantages are that police can access video
quickly and easily as they need to without going through a formal application process.

They can also watch the CCTV system as time allows to understand activity levels and keep an eye on
local hot spots from their stations.

Having police host the recording equipment often helps overcome privacy concerns as well as the
general public have confidence that the police will use the system appropriately. Privacy concerns
often become amplified if groups other than local police are managing the system.

The downside to this is that access will be more complicated for council to access the system if they
need to. Even though it will be a council owned asset, there will be processes to go through to
access any recorded footage.

These processes will need to be determined prior to the new CCTV system being switched on.



Council Premises
Hosting the CCTV system within council premises means that council will be able to access the
system as required.

The advantage of council owned infrastructure means that service personnel, council staff and
assigned system operators can access the system as needed.

However, this will mean police will need to go through formal channels to access the system each
time the need arises. Police requests for footage can occur at any time, day or night. As many
incidents occur after hours, police would be keen to get their hands on the recorded video at the
earliest possible opportunity.

This could mean they come knocking on your door in the middle of the night. These sorts of things
will need to be taken into account if council chooses to host the equipment in their offices.

Council will also need to have appropriate policies and operating procedures in place to ensure the
system is used appropriately at all times.
Policies, Procedures and MOUs
Council is going to need to develop and implement a series of policies and procedures for the use
and operation of the CCTV system.

These policies and procedures will need to articulate:
 Who can use and access the system
 Exactly what they are able to do while accessing the system
 Under what circumstances will recorded footage be released to members of the public
 What is the process for releasing recorded footage
 How long is archived footage held for and who is responsible for storing it?
 How is archived footage stored and secured?

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is also likely to be
required between local police and council when the CCTV
equipment is hosted at the police station. As council will own the
equipment, police will need to provide access for service personnel
and council staff as required.

This will need to be agreed before the system becomes
operational.



Technologies
Once you delve in to the world of CCTV, you will be overcome with options and choice. What
product do you use? Which technology is better?

As I touched on earlier, there are hundreds of products available from dozens of vendors that all
believe their product is best for you. So the questions is, how do you know what’s best for you?

There are three main technology groups that will need to be considered. These are:
 Transmission and Communications
 Cameras
 Video Management System
Transmission and Communications
Fibre Optic
Fibre optic cables are used widely for video transmission and communications networks. Particularly
over long distances and where large amounts of data need to be transferred.

The main Telco providers are the largest owners of fibre optic infrastructure as it is deployed
extensively to support our telephone and internet services.
Wireless
Chances are cables will not be available exactly where they are needed so a wireless network of
some type is likely to be required. Wireless network products are available in variety of types and
have varying performance characteristics. They can also include optional features like Wi‐Fi that
could be included for local community use.

Wireless network selection will depend on camera locations, camera quantities, building heights and
local terrain. Your consultant will advise on what will be the best solution for your project.
Cameras
Cameras come in all shapes and sizes. Traditionally CCTV cameras have been analogue but over the
last few years IP cameras have become more cost effective and are now widely used.

The exact type of camera and its specified performance will come down to exactly what you need to
achieve from your project. For example, if you wanted to capture vehicle number plates at a busy
intersection, you would need a different camera to what is needed to monitor pedestrian traffic in
the same location.
Video Management System
The key to any successful installation is the recording and monitoring platform. It is here that all the
cameras are recorded and viewed. As with cameras, there are numerous choices available, all with
different feature sets and capabilities.

The Video Management System or VMS as they are commonly referred to displays the camera
images, manages the data and controls system accessibility.



Key Points to Camera Selection
Good CCTV design takes experience and knowledge. With so many choices available, it is no wonder
the consumer gets confused when it comes to picking out the correct cameras and technologies to
suit their application.

One of the leading CCTV  manufacturers has 70 different cameras in their product range, all of which
are available locally. One of the largest CCTV wholesalers in Melbourne has over 150 different
cameras on their shelves and countless other cameras available to them.

With an estimated range of 4000 cameras or more available across all channels in Australia, how are
you expected to know the difference between an ideal camera that is suited to your application and
one that is not? And cameras are just one component that need to be considered.

Camera selection involves many factors but it should always start with the outcomes of the project
in mind. Once that is decided, you will have a good basis to work from.

The factors that can influence camera selection include:
 Environment – climate, temperature and humidity
 Location – internal or external
 Orientation – north, south, east or west facing
 Camera height and angle
 Field of view
 Distance from point of interest
 Foliage – Trees, shrubs and landscaping
 Buildings – height, location, awnings and accessibility

Rather than try to provide a comprehensive guide as to selecting the most suitable cameras, I would
rather just say leave camera selection and the system design to the consultant. It is their job to
understand the intricacies of camera and equipment selection for your project.
Scalability
There is no real limitation on how big a CCTV
system can become. Even if you are starting out
with just a handful of cameras, it doesn’t mean the
system can’t be expanded at a later date. However,
any future expansion plans should be taken into
account as part of the initial design.
I have been directly involved in projects where as
few as three cameras were installed, to projects
with many hundreds of cameras.

Image courtesy of Avigilon



Tender Specifications
Tender specifications are required to clearly articulate to tendering contractors, the extent of the
works and what the expectations are of the installing contractor.

These are particularly important for regional towns which are sometimes hundreds of kilometres
from a capital city. Contractors with the expertise to deploy Safe‐City CCTV systems are more likely
to be based in the major cities and will not have the luxury of being able to just drop in to check
minor details of the project during the tender period.

As such tender specifications will need to be highly detailed and provide a very clear picture of the
project and its exact requirements. As a minimum, they will need to cover:

 Scope of works
 Performance requirements
 Camera types and locations
 Network requirements
 Video Management System
 Training requirements
 Warranties and maintenance
 Installation standards
 OH&S requirements
 Traffic management

Comprehensive technical drawings that explain system connectivity will also need to be included as
part of the tender documentation.
Contractor Selection
Contractor selection is a very important component of any successful CCTV installation. From my
experience, the contractor should be able to satisfy seven key criteria before the project is awarded.

They should:
1. Have recent relevant project experience (preferably with local councils) and be able to
provide references of their work
2. Have the in‐house expertise to deliver the contract
3. Be comfortable delivering high‐value, complex security projects
4. Demonstrate they can support the system once installation has been completed
5. Be price competitive
6. Meet all OH&S requirements of the project
7. Be appropriately licensed and qualified in the proposed systems and technologies

If you can identify a contractor that meets these criteria, you should be able to proceed with
confidence.



Project Management & Deployment
Depending on size and complexity, these types of projects can take anywhere from one to six
months to complete. They will require a council resource to oversee delivery of the contract for the
duration of the project.

Consider also engaging the security consultant to assist with this component. There will be questions
and challenges to overcome during the installation phase that the council representative may not be
able to answer.

Getting further input from your consultant might just help the project run a little smoother.
System Commissioning & Hand Over
Before any project is complete, there are a few things that need to happen.

Your security consultant should undertake witness testing of the entire installation to ensure what
was supposed to be installed has been installed. He or she will also check the standard of
installation, review the system programming and ensure the system is operating correctly and in
accordance with the specification requirements.

Any defects that are identified will need to be rectified prior to practical completion being awarded.

The consultant will also ensure that the proper training has been provided to system operators and
that operating and maintenance manuals have been handed over.

Once that has all been completed, practical completion is given to the contractor and the warranty
period commences.
Monitoring
There are two types of monitoring available to councils. These are Active and Passive.
Active monitoring
Active monitoring is where an operator or operators will sit and actively monitor the CCTV system,
either full time or at times of the week when activity levels are at their highest.

The busiest nights of the week are typically from Thursday to Sunday nights when bars, pubs and
clubs are sought out. This is when councils will often get operators in to monitor the cameras so they
can alert police of an incident, or possible incidents, as they happen.

Active monitoring can be highly beneficial in reducing the number of incidents and allowing police to
respond before incidents escalate. If police can stop incidents before they result in damage or harm,
the resultant savings to the community can be tens of thousands of dollars a year.

Where systems are going to be actively monitored, it may then be logical to include a number of Pan
Tilt Zoom (PTZ) cameras into the system design so that operators can monitor larger areas and get
close‐ups of individuals when necessary. I would typically not recommend PTZ cameras where Active
Monitoring is not in place.

Expect active monitoring to cost about $40,000 per year, assuming three nights a week monitoring.



Passive monitoring
Passive monitoring is when the cameras are just left to record and are only referred to in the event
of an incident. This is how the majority of all CCTV systems are managed.

When CCTV systems are managed this way, it places a greater reliance on camera selection and
defining exactly what is to be recorded. This is because you need to rely heavily on the recorded
information to recognise or identify a person or persons. You do not have the flexibility to radio to
police to intercept someone because chances are video is viewed hours, or even days after an event
and the person(s) will be long gone.

Ultimately the choice between Active and Passive Monitoring will come down to the available
budget and the need.
Ongoing Maintenance
The CCTV system will require ongoing maintenance.

Assume that cameras will need to be cleaned and adjusted twice
per year and that software for the Video Management System is
updated annually.

Any maintenance agreement should include agreed hourly rates
for service attendances as well as call‐out rates during business
hours and after hours.

Expect that an annual maintenance contract will cost between 5‐
10% of the total system installation cost ie: $10,000 to $20,000 per
annum for a $200,000 project.
Overcoming Privacy Concerns
Much of the fear associated with CCTV comes from poor understanding of how these systems are
used. As stated earlier, most CCTV systems are never looked at until an incident occurs.

The hard drives in most CCTV systems will record all that goes on for 30 days or more, and then it is
overwritten by newer footage. There is no easy way to locate an individual’s footage on a CCTV
system unless you have a good idea of when they were in the area of the cameras.

As part of overcoming objections to CCTV, there should be polices in place to ensure that access is
heavily restricted and the system can only be used by approved operators. In fact, most CCTV
systems can limit operators to exactly what they can see and do within the system.  For example,
operators could be restricted to only watching live video and that further authorisation would be
required to view or export recorded video.

Exact roles and functions can be determined during the commissioning stage of the project.



Grants Applications
Both federal and state governments have programs that will contribute to safety and security
initiatives by local council such as Safe‐City CCTV deployments.

For example, in Victoria it is the Public Safety Infrastructure Fund. The federal equivalent would be
the National Crime Prevention Fund.

These funds often request a level of detail that local council representatives may have trouble
providing. An example of this might be for council to include in their application an overview of the
proposed camera locations and camera quantities.

I suggest you ask your security consultant to assist with the application process and ask them to
provide the supporting information that will be required.
About the Author
Luke Percy‐Dove is the Principal of Matryx Consulting Pty Ltd, a security consultancy that specialises
in technology based solutions for business and local government. He has been involved in the
security industry for over 18 years and has held senior security advisory roles within national
organisations during this time. He holds qualifications in Electronics, Security and Risk Management
and Technology.

Luke works with councils across Australia on the design and implementation of CCTV systems. Past
and current local government clients include Hume City Council, Woollahra Municipal Council,
Tablelands Regional Council, Hobart City Council and Maitland City Council.

Luke is a licensed security consultant in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and
Queensland and is a nationally accredited security consultant to the ANZ Bank.

Luke can be contacted via lukepd@matryxconsulting.com.au or 0412 987 640.
Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge the input of Brendan Lloyd from Geelong City Council in Victoria for his
input to this paper.

Brendan is recognised as one of the leading authorities in Safe‐City CCTV systems and their
operation and his contribution is greatly appreciated.

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