Are Security Cameras Worth The Investment?

Should you invest in security cameras? That’s a question that more and more entrepreneurs and homeowners are asking themselves, especially with how security cams are practically everywhere nowadays. They’re attached to traffic lights, on ATMs and on the ceilings of various buildings, shops and restaurants. They’re the watchful eye that keeps track of everything around you when you can’t. But are they really worth getting?

If you’ve already got security systems installed and security personnel at almost every corner, is there really a need to have security cameras as well? In this article, that’s what you’ll find out.

Are Security Cameras Worth The Investment?

Determining Real ROI

Security cameras have been widely used in many businesses and their effectiveness has been greatly publicised and chronicled in the media, from TV shows and movies using security camera shots to support storylines, to real life crime investigations solved because of security cam footage. As effective as they may be, they are definitely not cheap. The costs for security cameras do not just include the cost of the cameras themselves, but the installation, maintenance, operation and monitoring as well. It is definitely an investment, and one that does not have immediate concrete returns or ROI.

Fortunately, a study conducted by the Urban Institute, a U.S.-based socio-economic research group has found proof of exact ROIs from installing security cameras. In the study, one control area which was installed with 500 cameras that cost a total of $8.1 million enabled the said area to save a total of approximately $12 million in criminal justice costs, resulting in savings of $1.50 for every dollar spent. One other control area showed even greater results, with total savings of around $4.30 for every dollar spent.

With such impressive results in returns, there is no doubt that indeed, security cameras are a worthy investment.

Priceless Advantages of Installing Security Cameras

If those figures are not impressive enough, there are several other benefits to security cameras that you just can’t put a price on:

• Crime Prevention – At the mere sight of security cameras, intruders and other criminals will have second thoughts about pushing through with their sinister plans.
• Crime Detection – Because of security cameras working alongside other reliable security systems and eyewitness testimony, criminals are better identified and captured.
• Faster Response – Security cameras are constantly evolving and are no longer limited to just capturing one fuzzy view of a room. They are now able to capture sharper, more detailed images, can be manually moved in all directions to capture real-time action, and can be viewed from a number of different devices including tablets and smartphones. Armed with such amazing features, security personnel are now able to deliver faster and better responses to security threats spotted through security cameras.
• Peace of Mind – Security cameras give you the peace and security you need 24/7. Combined with the latest corporate security systems, they can guarantee total safety and security of those most valuable to you.

Given all of these facts, it is quite obvious then that the answer to the question posed at the beginning of this article is a resounding ‘yes!’ If you still haven’t gotten one for your home, office or other establishments, now is definitely the time to get a security camera and reap the many rewards.