Video Surveillance for Pharmacies
If there's any retail or healthcare outlet that needs video surveillance – it's pharmacies. Pharmacies, with their large store of expensive and controlled stock and constant demand for products, could benefit from the protection offered by security cameras. Better yet, advances like video analytics can help pharmacies work actively to reduce threat and increase security.
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Benefits of Drugstore Security Cameras
- Protect staff and customers – security cameras placed near the pharmacy and among stocks can help keep customers and staff safe by discouraging crime and objectively documenting any illegal activities that may occur
- Keep prices low – one continual problem for pharmacies is stock theft – stolen medicines and drugs may drive up prices, which can hurt consumers and the pharmacy itself. Video surveillance cameras can help keep stock safe and identify thieves who take controlled substances.
- Integration – many pharmacies are smaller units inside a larger store (may it be a grocery store, discount store, warehouse club, etc). Pharmacies may use their own system or can be integrated into the larger store's security system. This has many advantages, but when a pharmacy security system is monitored by store security and loss prevention, it means that more eyes are constantly watching the security feed, making it less likely that crimes or robberies will occur.
- IP video – Developments in the world of IP video have made security cameras a more powerful tool than ever. IP video cameras can be re-arranged on a whim to suit changing security needs, and IP video surveillance systems can broadcast footage over the internet, making it available at any time, and visible from anywhere in the world.
Risks of Pharmacy IP Video Systems
- Privacy – prescription drugs are an extremely confidential subject, and are considered confidential information. Respect the privacy of customers by keeping security cameras away from any identifying information about patients and their medicines.
Considerations for Drugstore Surveillance
Security needs for drugstores and pharmacies can vary widely depending on a variety of factors. Consider the following when setting up a pharmacy video surveillance system:
- Is your pharmacy a small drugstore outlet in a larger store or a freestanding building?
- Do you have a walk-up counter or do you also offer a drive-through?
- What do you consider to be your biggest security issue?
- What type of security do you currently have in place?
- What types of security problems have you had in the past?
Setup Advice for Pharmacy IP Video Cameras
- Place cameras so to capture every pharmacy customer (either at counter or in drive through, depending – if at a drive through capture the license plate as well), but be careful to keep medical information private
- A network of cameras should cover all of the storage areas, including dispensation and garbage stations.