Car Park Security Features Worth Investing In
Car park security is something all businesses that operate a car park need to be on top of. Whether it’s for staff use only or you have clients and customers parking in your car park, you need to make sure it is safe for all vehicles and visitors alike at all times of the day.
But how safe and secure is your car park, and what security features do you really need? The security features you need can vary based on the use of your car park and the business you operate, but this article is going to look at a few different features worth investing in.
High Definition Cameras
Not just any high definition cameras, you need ones with coverage that is genuinely useful in the event of an investigation for any reason. Cameras positioned for general overview are fine as deterrents, but if they’re not paired with ones that are able to capture footage at a resolution you can see people’s faces or read number plates, then you’re doing your security efforts a disservice. Cameras specifically pointed for capture at entry and exit points and at key areas within the car park will be more valuable than general deterrent cameras.
Integrated Video and Access Management
Now this is definitely something worth investing in. If you have a car park with a barrier system, for example, that doesn’t communicate with your camera system, the result is that you need to cross-reference two separate sets of data.
Video surveillance management systems that integrate with access and alpr data link every entry event to its corresponding footage automatically. This means when you need to find out exactly what happened at 11.43 yesterday morning, you can go right to that timestamp and have everything you need.
Remote Monitoring and Alert Capabilities
This isn’t a nice-to-have feature anymore; it’s essential, especially for busier operations. If you’re limiting yourself to someone being physically on guard, then you’re missing the bigger picture, and the bigger picture is exactly what you need to be able to see.
Remote monitoring and alert capabilities mean you’re able to see everything from any location, not just if someone is on patrol. You’ll get alerts for things like a camera going offline, or a vehicle that’s been stationary or unmoved for an unusually long period of time. This means you can shift your security from reactive to proactive.
Adequate Lighting
Every car park needs adequate lighting. And even motion sensor illumination after dark can be beneficial. But if you tie your lighting to your camera coverage, this is much more beneficial. The trick is to design your lighting and camera placement together so they both work in conjunction with each other, not against what the other is doing. If a camera can’t see clearly, it’s not always a hardware problem; it’s a lighting issue.
A Searchable Evidence Management System
If something happens in your car park, you don’t want to spend hours trawling through footage; you need the details in that moment. This is made so much easier if you have a system that stores footage in searchable, structured formats so you can easily pull what you need when you need it. These formats can be stored in timestamp format, plate data or location tag; for example, it doesn’t matter as long as you have this in place.
