Using audio to protect high street retail

During the day, the high streets of Britain offer residents shopping, food and entertainment. During the nights, however (especially at weekends), the high street can attract troublesome and criminal behaviour. For retailers, this can result in significant additional costs for clean-ups, repairs, replacing damaged property or worse.

Is there a need to improve security?

Recently, there has been a rise in numbers of UK retail businesses looking to improve their surveillance solutions. This is down to anti-social behaviour, or people trying to break in or damage their property.

As the word spreads about the use of integrating network audio into IP surveillance systems, there are more customers seeing the benefits of adding loudspeakers to their external CCTV cameras as an additional deterrent.

How does network audio help to deter crime?

A typical security system featuring network audio often works like this: If the IP cameras pick up anyone acting suspiciously in front of a store for longer than a predetermined time, it then generates an alert to a staffed control room. From here an operator can talk live through the horn speaker, to instruct the intruders to leave. To reduce the number of false alarms, the analytics can be set to ignore anyone simply walking past the store.

A pre-recorded message can also be triggered that is broadcast through the speaker. However, live messages have proven to be most effective.

How does the addition of network audio in surveillance make staff feel safer?

There are many ways network audio can be used in surveillance. Another network audio application that can be used for staff security is a high-visability panic button. If there are any problems in the store, or anyone trying to steal goods, the staff can press the panic button, and the alert then goes through to the control room. The operator can then talk through a ceiling speaker in the store e.g. ‘Security staff are on their way, please leave the building!’”

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As one of the UK's leading experts in professional audio systems and audio-over-IP technology, CIE has been appointed as the main UK distributor for the Axis range of network audio products. Working in close partnership with Axis Communications, CIE provides expert advice and system design, product specification and integrated IP systems.