Job Competencies Required for Effective CCTV Operation

Hi-Tech Security Systems - Human Factor Articles

Contributing Editor - Dr Craig Donald

Job Competencies Required for Effective CCTV Operation - July, 1997, Vol 3 No 3.

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A range of roles and activities may be performed as part of any CCTV operator function. Each site will have its own particular set of conditions depending on its specific purpose, the technology used, the way it is designed, and how information is processed and used as part of the site management. However, whether personnel are monitoring or controlling movement or access, recording suspicious incidents or behaviour, monitoring alarm conditions, performing close surveillance on people, or even reviewing videotaped information there is a set of common core competencies required to perform this kind of work. The extent of these may vary from site to site but they represent an essential set of abilities necessary to do the job. These will then be complimented by additional unique criteria for each job or site. Despite the increasing sophistication of CCTV technology, the human factors that go into operating it are becoming more critical rather than less so and operator competencies play a key part in achieving success.

Competencies fall into three main categories. The first and most basic is the set of physical criteria which are necessary for a person to be able to perform a particular kind of work. The second involves mental abilities that reflect a particular aptitude or inclination to perform those kinds of duties. The third includes those skills that can be learned through education or training, or knowledge that can be gained through experience on the job. The core skills required from CCTV operators will briefly be discussed according to these sections.

Operators are continually relying on their physical senses while working, but the key physical criteria in all CCTV positions is likely to be that of visual clarity. Besides the more obvious factor of good vision it includes colour differentiation (eg. for identifying suspects clothing or distinguishing characteristics in situations), spacial perception for appreciating depth and perspective, detection of rapid movement, and the ability to track moving objects. Importantly, visual clarity in a video based environment is not always as simple as in natural settings and the ability to maintain perspective using a video screen is essential Reaction time and eye-hand coordination are also necessary criteria to actual performance. In some settings auditory differentiation is becoming increasing relevant as audio signals or monitoring are introduced into control room environments. Assessing people on these criteria may be done through real life observation, medical testing or through some kind of competency assessment.

Many of the mental characteristics rely on some of the physical qualities of the person but are enhanced by the person=s ability to process and make sense of the information. Given continual input, for example, the ability to discriminate between relevant criteria and Abackground noise@ will allow the operator to home in on important issues more efficiently. Dividing and allocating attention between multiple sources of information is also a critical skill as multiple monitors, multiplexs, and having a number of people on screen are all characteristic of CCTV environments. The detection of anomalies also has a physical link but relies heavily on the person=s ability to memorise relevant visual cues. Memory is important in other ways. Being able to memorise layouts, camera locations and code numbers among other details also provides operators with an advantage in being able to use the technology optimally. Combined with the ability to mentally visualise the layout of a setting and the views that various cameras provide allows the operator to Atune in@ to appropriate cameras and switch almost intuitively to get the best view or to track a person or unfolding situation. The use of good judgement, maintaining one=s presence of mind during a crises, and the ability to switch between different situations and quickly orientate oneself with what is happening are equally important to effective operation.

Many of the mental factors ultimately translate into the ability to rapidly scan and mentally review a situation and a sensitivity to recognise incident conditions. However, despite the relevance of all of these factors, probably the key mental requirement to put them into practice effectively is whether the person has a prolonged attention span. Whether using short monitoring periods of 30 minutes which have been proven to be most effective or periods of up to eight hours which often equates with current shifts, the consistency of concentration over time defines the extent of your systems Aquality@. Erratic performance of operators equates directly with erratic system performance. Although reviewing previous experience or conducting an interview may give some indications of mental characteristics, simulations or competency assessment exercises such as SAMAE are the only real ways to realistically measure such qualities in a person. There are also a range of personality factors which compliment the mental factors outlined above but these will be described in-depth in the next issue.

The third set of competences which are training or experience related are generally easier to identify and to measure. Of these, familiarity with the setting, the technology, and work or other procedures (whether production or public areas) is one of the more important. One can only identify inappropriate behaviour if one knows what is normal. In monitoring of production settings, previous experience or substantial training are essential to effective performance. Technical competence in using equipment is largely accomplished through skills training but classroom competence needs to be translated into job proficiency through guidance from role models on the job. Top operators have a feel for situations that cannot be replicated in classroom instruction. Sensitivity to non-verbal behaviour is a consequence of experience, personality and training but training can do much to focus operators on the recognition of issues. The area of camera operation skills, often taken for granted incorporates such things as zoom and panning skills, legal criteria for visual evidence, and usage of camera positioning to gain the best picture.

Increased competency leads to more effective performance. Unlike television which is a passive activity most people engage in to relax, CCTV is an active process which continually has demands on the operator. An operator who either does not have the competencies or switches off to the demands of the job can defeat the whole objective of the system. The challenge of finding the right kind of person will be discussed in more depth in subsequent issues.