10 October 2008
The security of thousands of businesses could be at risk if their CCTV systems fail to comply with a new British Standard that comes into force at the end of the month.
If a business' CCTV system is not fully compliant to British Standard 8418 (BS8418) by 31 October, it could be denied a police response to intruder alarms.
Non-compliant firms could even face financial losses through invalid insurance claims.
All CCTV systems protecting private commercial property installed after 1 January 2005, which require police response, must have been installed to BS8418 regulations.
BS8418 sets out controls over the installation and monitoring of CCTV systems and requires they are monitored by a BS8418 and BS5979 compliant remote video response centre.
Non-compliance to BS8418 would mean a denial of a unique reference number, which is recognised by UK police services.
GSS, the first security consultants in the UK to gain BS8418 accreditation, warns that for some time there has been an anomaly regarding security systems installed prior to
1 January 2005 and that many non-compliant systems have continued to receive a police response.
But from 31 October such systems will no longer benefit from this unofficial arrangement.
Edward Cusack, managing director of GSS said: “The enforcement of the regulations should help drive forward the overall quality of security provided by the industry.”
"However, businesses with non-complaint legacy systems need to be aware of the potential ramifications. It's possible that thousands of companies that have invested heavily in monitored CCTV protection could find that their system does not have the level of security necessary to elicit a police response come November.”
Cusack added that it was “almost impossible” to calculate the number of systems affected.
“What we can be sure about is that many companies could be caught out by this situation and the sooner businesses mobilise themselves and address this issue the better.”
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