Andy Kircher, from Hilsea, runs Safevue CCTV. He set up the business last year after he lost his job due to coronavirus.
However he said he’s never been busier – with large projects being put in to places such as South Parade Pier, Nisa Local in Copnor Road, and TMR South Coast in Drayton.
Now, the 50-year-old wants to see more places put in CCTV, after his systems have been used numerous times to identify culprits in a wide range of issues, from flytipping to graffiti, theft and assaults, anti-social motorbike riding all the way up to armed robberies.
Andy Kircher runs a CCTV business and he has grown over the past year, employing two young apprentices Pictured: Andy Kircher with his apprentices, Alfie Newsham and Luke Mitchell at South Parade Pier, Southsea on 20 August 2021 Picture: Habibur Rahman
He said: ‘If we can get good quality CCTV installed across the city, then it will be a benefit to everyone in the community.’
Andy’s systems, which use Hikvision equipment, are so advanced that they can capture full colour quality images even at night, and he can set up alerts for intruders and number plate recognition, plus much more.
Andy, who is married and has four step-children and four grandchildren, said: ‘These are HD quality, full colour, it’s nothing like the black and white grainy footage of a few years ago. The technology has massively advanced, and it has become better priced.
Andy Kircher runs a CCTV business and he has grown over the past year, employing two young apprentices Pictured: Andy Kircher with his apprentices, Alfie Newsham and Luke Mitchell at South Parade Pier, Southsea on 20 August 2021 Picture: Habibur Rahman
‘With this the police don’t just need to rely on recognising people by their trainers anymore, this shows you every single detail.
‘It only needs to be used once to catch someone and it has done its job.
‘It is peace of mind for the rest of your life – and it’s there to help everybody. We often get requests from neighbours, or from things that happen that our cameras pick up.
‘At the end of the day, we have to protect our community ourselves. The police force is not big enough to deal with all the anti-social behaviour that’s going on, but we as a community can get together and do something to help.’
Andy now employs a team of six and he has also just taken on two apprentices – his stepson Luke Mitchell and Alfie Newsham – to help cope with demand as his company grows.
He is offering a 10 per cent discount to anybody who quotes ‘The News’. He also offers free fitting to anybody who works for the NHS.
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