How many CCTV cameras does a shop need?

Start with what you want to prove

A camera is useful when its recording answers a question later: who took the money, who came in at night, which customer picked up the item. Decide the questions first, then place one camera per question.

The four positions most shops need

• Counter: above and slightly behind the person billing, so the customer and the transaction are both in frame
• Cash drawer or billing system: close enough to see notes and the screen
• Entrance: at face height, facing people as they come in, not their backs
• Outside: the shutter and the street, which is what you will want after a night-time incident

When you need more than four

Each of these usually adds one camera. Past four cameras you move to an 8-channel recorder, which our 8-camera kit includes.

• Long aisles or high-value shelves out of sight of the counter
• A back door, store room or godown
• A second floor or a separate billing area

Common mistakes

• Cameras placed high in a corner that only show the tops of heads
• An entrance camera facing a bright doorway, which turns faces into silhouettes
• No camera outside, so night incidents are not recorded at all
• Recorder kept where anyone can switch it off