BS8418 is endorsed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in their security systems policy. Compliance with the standard is therefore an essential requirement of obtaining a Police URN (Unique Reference Number) and thereby achieve a Level One response from the police should an incident be reported to them by an accredited RVRC.
In an ideal world, all detector activated remotely monitored CCTV systems should comply with BS8418 but we know that this is far from the case. One of the reasons is that the majority of visually verified intruder alarm systems currently installed in the UK have not been specified as a result of an insurance requirement. If they were, then they would almost definitely have to comply with BS8418. Without this imperative, a large number of detector activated remotely monitored CCTV systems have been installed without reference to the standard. The consequences of this does not automatically mean that a system is not fit for purpose, as there are countless professional installation companies which have the capability to install remotely monitored systems to a high standard. There are, however, an equal number of installers who lack the knowledge and understanding of ‘best practice’ for these kinds of solution. The result of this is likely to be systems that inherently have the potential to generate a large number of false alarms or even worse, are not fit for purpose.
Poor design = false alarms
A badly designed detector activated video surveillance system (which does not embrace many of the practical and sensible suggestions set out in BS8418) is unlikely to be able to deliver this benefit. Indeed, it will probably generate a high level of false alarms to the frustration of customers whilst creating an unproductive, unnecessary and costly workload for the remote monitoring centre – as well as potentially increasing monitoring costs.
A typical example of what can cause this problem, and it is a scenario which Unipart Security account managers regularly come across when carrying our site surveys, is where a detector is installed in a position several feet behind or to the left or right of the camera. BS8418 sensibly stipulates that the respective camera should be able to cover an area that is not less than the detection area of the sensor. There is no way a remote monitoring centre can identify the cause of a false alarm, e.g. small animals, if the camera is not covering the same area as the detector and more importantly, there is always the possibility that images of an intruder will not be captured and recorded. Equally important, as highlighted in BS8418, is that the detection area of sensors should not overspill the perimeter of the protected premises.
BS8418 starts off with providing guidance on the need to identify the operational requirement, i.e. why is the system needed and what is it expected to do? It goes on to provide extremely valuable information on how to go through the process of selecting the appropriate equipment, as well as installation and commissioning, and it also includes information on signalling equipment, lighting and ‘audio challenge’.
I make no apologies for being almost evangelistic in expressing my admiration for the much ignored BS8418. Whilst accepting that many installers might not feel it is commercially viable to fully embrace all of its guidelines, there is much in the standard which will help installers enhance their reputation, whilst providing their customers with dependable detector activated remotely monitored video surveillance systems which can be cost-effectively and efficiently monitored by commercially run remote monitoring centres.
I would therefore urge installers and end-users to take a closer look at BS8418. A very good starting point would be to download a copy of the BSIA’s excellent User Guide which provides an introduction and overview of the standard.
I would also recommend that you take advantage of the services on offer from field based account managers who work for RVRCs such as that operated by Unipart Security. They are ready, willing and able to provide objective advice on system design which, as you might expect, is based on the excellent guidelines written into BS8418.
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