Do security cameras deter thieves?

Australia Broadcast Center

9 hours ago

Joel Bentley decided to install security cameras as a preventative measure, before experiencing a break-in.
He has four cameras outside his unit at Sunshine North in Melbourne, on Wurundjeri country.
"I feel that it's the best approach to deterring would-be criminals from targeting my property and just to make it slightly less attractive," Mr Bentley says.
With crime rates a big concern for many Australians, households are increasingly turning to technology to try to protect against thieves.
But how effective are they in deterring thieves and what should you consider before buying and installing them?
Allistair Baines manages a company based in Wurundjeri/Box Hill South, Victoria, which sells and installs CCTV cameras across the country.
He told ABC radio program PM that he has noticed a rise in interest recently.
"We are seeing a big increase in customers' inquiries," he says.
"There are very new advancements in low-light technology where the cameras, they can stay in full colour so they don't revert to infrared.
Ausma Bernot, a lecturer in technology and crime at Griffith University on Kombumerri lands/Gold Coast, says some cameras now have AI technology.
"The [AI recognition] cameras, can distinguish between people and pets," she says.
"They can be hardwired into the building, they can be cloud connected, and they can also alarm you to when they detect somebody or something outside of your home and that alert sounds on your phone on your app.
"So these capabilities are quite advanced, it's almost like [having] a security guard."
Mr Bentley says the cameras not only provide security, there is the added benefit of knowing when he has had deliveries arrive at his doorstep.
"I'm more interested, to be honest, in knowing when my food delivery man has dropped off something at the front door or the postie if I'm not at home."
Rick Brown is deputy director at the Australian Institute of Criminology at Ngunnawal/Barton, in the ACT, and has researched the effectiveness of security cameras.
"CCTV is useful for preventing certain sorts of crime and they tend to be vehicle crime, particularly in car parks, property crime and crime around drug markets," he told PM.
"Those are really the three where there's evidence that they work."
Ms Bernot says the evidence on their effectiveness is mixed.
"We do know that that cameras don't have a very strong and continued trend to help with security, especially when it comes to individual homes," she says.
"But of course, when we're thinking about deterrence, making the target of the home as unattractive for the thief as possible ...
"It's good to have a fence, it's good to have a dog, it's good to have any sort of device that might look like a camera, even if it's not."
The Queensland Police Service says house break-ins are one of the most common crimes and can occur at any time of the day or night.
It says security cameras should be viewed as one part of an overall crime prevention strategy.
"A simple and effective way to review your home security is to start from the outside of your home and work inwards, using a layered approach," a QPS spokesperson says.
It recommends ensuring CCTV cameras, alarms and lighting are installed and of sufficient quality to effectively detect, identify and record unwanted activities.
Ms Bernot says it is important to do some research before you purchase a camera.
"Cameras do not have amazing specs when it comes to night vision, and a lot of crime does happen in the dark hours of the day," she says.
"But there's also that question of, if it's a nice sunny day, that the camera footage might be the most useful."
Ms Bernot says another element worth considering is the risk live-streaming cameras pose to privacy.
"The cameras, in theory, they're amazing, but there's also some unexpected risks that you're introducing to your home as well," she says.
"Most of them are extremely hackable," she says.
"We have hacked some very cheap cameras and some very expensive cameras with my team [for research].
"At the moment, the manufacturers are not really motivated to increase the cybersecurity aspects of these cameras to the level that we would want them to be at."
Ms Bernot says if a camera is hacked, the live stream can be shared with others, so she advises to be cautious about what rooms you have them in.
"It is actually good, if you can do it, to set the camera up on a separate network in case it is hacked, [so] it doesn't affect all of your devices," she says.
"So you do have to think about if you're buying a camera, doing a little bit of research first."
This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.