Installing CCTV is not simply a matter of installing a camera, a monitor and a recorder; there are a large number of other factors to consider:

• What will your target be? Will it move or stay in one place? If it moves how fast will it go, can the camera/operator follow it?
• How will the image be seen at night? By a light? By infra-red? How much will this cost, and will it give the desired result?
• Who will be watching the images? Do you need someone to watch them or are you just going to record what the camera happens to see?
• Who will respond to what the camera sees? Can you realistically expect the police to attend and deal with every incident seen on your cameras?

To help you think through these and many other questions, the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) have produced a series of publications that are available free of charge by emailing hosdb@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.

For more info, visit the Home Office Scientific Development Branch website

South Yorkshire Police's intranet mapping system (IMS2) contains information about offenders and has special features including shared images from CCTV footage throughout the county.

Officers can spend hours researching evidence captured on CCTV and the footage mapped on IMS2 saves a lot of time in this process.

Anyone with CCTV who would like to share their images with the Force to help widen the amount of data collated can do so by filling out an application form and send the form back to IMS2@southyorks.pnn.police.uk

The information captured on the CCTV will initially only be used for intelligence purposes, for serious crime and disorder. If there was a need to use the images evidentially then this would only be done with the owner’s consent. This is an opportunity for members of the community to assist police in making their neighbourhood safer.