If any more proof is needed that surveillance technology has actually started the shift from analog to digital as the standard format, ask the QLD police. In a recent incident involving theft of minors at a major holiday park in Gold Coast, Australia, IP cameras were a key element in identifying the perpetrators due to the clarity of the images provided and, according to law enforcement officers, perhaps too key. A group of youths broke into the holiday park with the intention of stealing money from the park’s coin-operated washing machines. Using a large screwdriver, the criminals opened each of the high-quality stainless steel coin boxes, causing more than $ 4,000 in damage in the process.
They also took it upon themselves to carefully clean the fingerprints on each of the machines after obtaining the money, even though they were being monitored by an IP camera directly above them. The images taken from the security cameras were posted on a QLD local police notice board and within 2 days the thieves were recognized and identified by their faces and quickly confessed. However, the police debated whether the photographs were real or not, given that they had such a high resolution. The agents believed that the images must have been taken with a digital camera, so much so that the court contacted the supplier of the security surveillance equipment to obtain testimony that the footage was, in fact, real and obtained directly from surveillance. IP camera logs without any enhancement or alteration.
Being one of the decisive factors in the implementation of an IP camera system, the quality of the image was considered the main reason why the capture of minors was so fast in this case. The fact that law enforcement officers had to be persuaded that the captured images were not tampered with is a testament to the standard for IP camera footage and demonstrates the variety of practical security applications. However, there are still some drawbacks to setting up an IP-based security network. For one thing, individual cameras can be expensive depending on which end of the market the company wants to expand into. While this is often offset by greatly reduced wiring costs, the large numbers connected to each unit can often send potential customers running for the hills. It is our job as IT professionals to convince them that their investment is worth it, as you (figuratively) cannot put a price on the security of your business.
IP surveillance cameras allow a variety of image resolutions, including standard and megapixel resolutions. Most normal CCTV cameras record at 370×240 pixels resolution, however IP cameras support image quality up to 1900×1200 pixels. Having triple or higher image quality than most conventional cameras enables an enhanced ability to capture finer details such as faces, license plates and other items of evidence with great clarity. IP camera systems also allow images to be captured at much greater distances than older traditional systems. Also, unlike traditional CCTV cameras that have a direct link to a certain security monitor database, any security officer with administrative privileges can access IP cameras regardless of their physical location. Since bandwidth is the only limiting factor, agents should not be located inside any surveillance center or computer terminal to view or monitor the content of the IP camera images.