Since Mwangi’s car was stolen from the parking lot 3 weeks ago, the parking lot Manager had been thinking seriously about their predicament. Mwangi’s car brought to total 5 cars that had been stolen in that car park in the last 10 months under his watch. The manager had already heard some rumors out there that he could be the one behind the car thefts. Partly he was angry at the harsh rumors but partly he understood where the speculations were coming from. People out there just did not understand why the thefts were still going on despite the recent installations of the CCTV cameras. He had been looking around for a CCTV installation professional that would come and assess the already existent system and advise him accordingly on the way forward.

When the professional Peter arrived that afternoon, the parking lot manager took him on a detailed tour of the parking lot and showed him where all the cameras were located. When they got back to his office, Peter asked the manager why they had those cameras installed in those specific positions. The manager was shocked. He wondered why a professional was asking him such a question. Peter explained that every surveillance system should seek to answer the questions “What do I need to see?” & “Why do I need to see it?” This would ensure that the cameras were placed strategically to achieve the objectives mandated for them. Peter continued explaining that the choice of a CCTV camera in particular depends on the nature of activity to be observed. To provide guidance to a system user, four categories are usually used to best reflect the type of activity being observed. An installer is then able to fit a suitable camera to meet the requirements.