CCTV is becoming increasingly commonplace in today’s society. In recent years the amount of new CCTV installations has skyrocketed due to a number of social and economic factors.
For many people the presence of CCTV appears to be an invasion. For others it is a godsend; increasing security and bringing other associated benefits. The following article explains the rise of CCTV, from its initial implications to the present situation on our streets.
Early Functional CCTV Systems
The first recorded CCTV installation was located at a German facility for testing rocket launches. Closed circuit camera systems were made resistant to the exertion of a launch so that they could observe launches close up and spot any problems.
Due to high costs CCTV was only used for official purposes such as these for sometime. With developments in rocket technology advancing nations continued to use CCTV systems to monitor test sites and launches. CCTV cameras were fitted to sections of rockets that would detach whilst out of the Earth’s atmosphere. The cameras would then broadcast the footage back to mission control for further analysis.
As industry and new power sources developed CCTV broke into a new market. Many manufacturing businesses and power stations started to invest in surveillance technology to oversee daily operations. Nuclear power stations relied on CCTV cameras to give a visual report of areas where it was unsafe for people to work. This also became common practice in many industries which had production areas that were deemed inhabitable for working.
CCTV in the Public Eye
Nowadays CCTV still has its use in industry and particularly in manufacturing processes. To comply with new insurance companies many businesses are required to have cameras installed to ensure employee safety.
However, surprisingly enough, one of the biggest areas of growth for surveillance equipment is in the private sector. Apart from manufacturing plants some of the first places where CCTV systems were placed included banks and government offices. Due to high costs of maintenance and installation only places that had a security risk warranted so costly an installation.
During the 1980s and 1990s CCTV installations gradually became more accessible and therefore commonplace. Businesses of all sizes started to invest in surveillance equipment to monitor premises. These functioned not only as an effective way of collecting evidence of misdemeanours but also as a powerful deterrent. As prices became more competitive and the market became more accessible more and more cameras became installed in a variety of locations. Nowadays it is not only common practice to observe the exterior of a premise but also to monitor interior areas such as stock rooms and cashier’s offices to ensure employees are obedient at all times.
At present, with the surveillance market becoming more successful than ever, record numbers of CCTV systems are being sold. Following government initiatives whole cities are now swarming with CCTV cameras tracking people’s movements in every corner of a given location. CCTV systems are also being incorporated into more home security systems with a variety of options available to suit all budgets.