A well-known security firm on Vancouver Island, Western Canada Security, has recently rolled out its new video-monitoring service. Live CCTV cameras allow the company’s Security OLicers to support commercial clients, even when WCS guards and patrollers are not on-site. Remote, real-time video surveillance can run 24/7, covering the interior and exterior of the region’s retail locations, oLice buildings, or construction sites. That gives peace of mind to owners, customers, and staL, and reduces the likelihood of serious damage stemming from maintenance failures, theft, vandalism, or aggressive behavior.
Additionally, advanced software tools can leverage traditional security footage to develop new insights. These can relate to marketing as much as safety or loss prevention. For example, A.I. tools can track how customers move throughout a store, then make recommendations for layout adjustments or changes to product displays. Western Canada Security’s leap into video monitoring opens up advantages far beyond what’s expected from the protection services industry.
Remote monitoring and complementary software tools come at a relatively low cost compared to the safety and business benefits gained. But Western Canada Security has not made decisions based on pricing alone. Their monitoring station is right here in Victoria, rather than being housed overseas. Many Canadian companies outsource their monitoring eLorts to the Philippines or India, delivering marginal savings to their clients in return. “We chose a diLerent path,” says WCS President Inderbir Singh. “We want to be as responsive as possible to our clients, and that means keeping every part of our operations on the Island.” In his view, the discounts gained by having monitoring take place in other countries lead to inevitable delays and interruptions. Those can be quite costly in the long run, as can added vulnerabilities to data leaks and other types of cybersecurity risks.
Vancouver Islanders have long been taught to “Think Local” about their shopping and procurement choices. That idea is recurrently promoted through advocacy groups and development campaigns. It’s inspiring to see service providers take the same approach: keeping operations local for the benefit of the entire community. Western Canada Security’s uniformed guards and patrol vehicles are already a familiar sight on Vancouver Island. You can expect to see more of them as their CCTV service grows in the months and years ahead.