Doorstep Parcel Theft at Christmas and the CCTV Footage That Actually Helps

Parcels start stacking up on doorsteps in mid-November and keep arriving until the new year. Thieves follow the delivery vans, and plenty of householders only find out when a tracking page says it was delivered, and the step is empty. Most of them have a camera, yet the clip often shows a hood and a pair of shoulders, which is no use to a courier or the police. At Incognito Systems, we plan CCTV installation around that problem so the footage can be used afterwards.

Height is where most doorstep cameras go wrong. Too high and it records the top of a head. Too low and anyone can reach up and knock it out of position. Around two and a half metres suits most front doors, tilted slightly down so it catches faces on the way in rather than the back of a head on the way out. The exact spot depends on the porch and the path, as well as where drivers tend to leave things.

A narrow view aimed at the step also beats a wide lens that takes in the whole drive, where a face at the gate ends up only a few pixels across.

At night many cameras switch to infrared, and at close range that can bleach a face into a white smudge. A light that comes on as someone walks up the path gives the camera something to work with and gives a thief a reason to think again. A bright bulb pointing at the lens does the opposite, so the camera and the light need planning together.

A recorder holds a set number of days before it records over the oldest footage, which matters if a parcel goes missing while you're away for a week. Recording only when something moves stretches the space a long way. Our CCTV maintenance visits include checking that the system is saving what you think it is.

Parcels don't always go to the front door either. Some drivers use the side gate or leave things round the back. A CCTV system plan that starts from how deliveries reach the house usually ends up with one camera in a better place rather than three in the wrong ones.

If you'd like cameras placed so the footage holds up, Incognito Systems will look at how deliveries reach your door before recommending anything. Call 01536 680988 or email [email protected] to arrange a visit or send a message through the contact page.