In February, our Training Development and Delivery Lead, Henry Pattison, delivered our Level 2 Award for CCTV Operators working in the Private Security Industry programme. The training took place over three days at our offices in Darlington and a visit to a working CCTV control room.
CCTV operators must be alert, reliable and situationally aware of the space they are monitoring. The safety and security of a building, event or outdoor space is viewed by the CCTV operator. There may be an incident where suspicious activity has been identified that requires further observation. The operator must be able to carry out behavioural analysis, be situationally aware and able to record their findings. A decision will soon be made as to whether the situation is likely to escalate as a threat to public safety or a potential criminal act could take place.
The aspiring CCTV operators were taught the required legislation, roles and responsibilities, types of surveillance and operational procedures. They also completed a practical assessment in a workplace CCTV control room where they took on the role of a CCTV operative to demonstrate how to deal with the presence of a suspicious person on a visual surveillance system. To be successful, they had to check the system was working, clear and in focus. They were then contacted by radio communications about the suspicious person seen on camera. The operators then identified the individual and kept a record of their behaviour, appearance, and characteristics to confirm the sighting. In some cases, they may be asked to download the footage to be given to the police for further analysis. Therefore, they were also asked to demonstrate how the footage should be stored, downloaded and labelled correctly.
Finally, the learners completed three multiple-choice exams based on the content taught during the programme. Upon successful completion of these, they will be able to apply for a SIA CCTV Operators licence and begin working in the security industry.
If you would like further information on this programme, please contact the training team on 01325 734850 or email [email protected]. We hope to hear from you soon!