Video surveillance standard is revised

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BSI, the business standards company, has revised BS EN 62676-4:2015 Video surveillance systems for use in security applications – Part 4: Application guidelines.

The standard which saw input from the Home Office, the Metropolitan Police and Transport for London, provides guidance on how to ensure that video surveillance systems (VSS), which are referred to as closed circuit television (CCTV), meet their functional and performance requirements.

VSS is a means of providing images from security cameras and recorders for viewing on a display via a transmission system. There is no theoretical limit to the number of cameras and displays which may be used in a VSS installation but in practice will be limited by the efficient combination of control and display equipment, and the operator's ability to manage the system. The successful operation of a VSS requires the active co-operation of the user in carrying out recommended procedures.

The aim is to achieve worldwide interoperability for CCTV, and as such the BS EN 62676 series of standards for video surveillance systems for use in security applications, are the joint European/international adoptions of the BS EN 50132 series. This recent revision has an added national annex for security grading application for video surveillance systems providing a shorthand way to simplify the specification of system requirements.

BS EN 62676-4 will prove useful to those responsible for establishing operational requirements, writing specifications, selecting, installing, commissioning, using and maintaining a VSS.

Anne Hayes, Head of Market Development for Governance at BSI said: "The Surveillance Camera Commissioner has already endorsed the use of this suite of CCTV standards for systems that need to follow the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice. This type of unity can only provide the best reassurance and peace of mind for the public, who rely on video surveillance systems to be operating optimally, to ensure their safety."

The BS EN 62676 series of standards on video surveillance system is divided into 4 independent parts. Part 4 gives recommendations and requirements for the selection, planning, installation, commissioning, maintaining and testing video surveillance systems comprising of image capture device(s), interconnection(s) and image handling device(s), for use in security applications.

BS EN 62676-4 aims to:

• Provide a framework to assist customers, installers and users in establishing their requirements
• Assist specifiers and users in determining the appropriate equipment required for a given application
• Provide means of evaluating objectively the performance of the VSS

The development of BS EN 62676-4 followed the international and European procedures, comprising international and European expertise contributing to the technical development of the documents. These were advised at a national level, including in the UK, by a broad range of stakeholder communities and individual expertise.

The collaborative consensus-based process also saw input from such organizations as: NPCC (National Police Chief's Council), Association of Security Consultants, British Security Industry Association, CCTV National Standards Forum, Electrical Contractors Association, Fire Protection Association, Fire and Security Association, National Security Inspectorate and SSAIB.