From an historic castle in Kent to the massive Canary Wharf complex in London, here are some of the latest CCTV installations of which the installers are justly proud
'Road rage' system extended TH White Installation Ltd based at Devizes, Wilts, specified and installed three new Sony Exwave CCTV cameras to increase the range and coverage of the town centre surveillance system at Andover.

Last year the system made front page and national television news as a result of this country's first ever prosecution for parking rage.

The Sony Exwave SSC-DC58AP high resolution, low lux colour cameras, said to provide a major advance in camera sensitivity combined with a reduction in smear levels, are now part of Andover's extensive CCTV operation in the town centre.

The system was the centre of national attention last year. CCTV images led to the arrest and convic-tion in Britain's first ever case of parking rage when two women drivers went for the same parking space. Jurors in Winchester Crown Court decided that the defendant was guilty of dangerous driving.

Historic surveillance
A total of 26 Surveyor dome cameras together with a Nova V1466 matrix system from Vicon Industries were installed in Canterbury Town Centre and surrounding areas including Herne Bay and Whitstable.

The project includes installations in shopping centres, car parks, council offices and swimming pools and many of the cameras are the colour S2000-RW23 day/night dome.

The Vicon matrix in use at the control room is the V1466 model. This microprocessor-controlled system allows for systems with a minimum of 32 inputs and 16 outputs to a maximum of 256 inputs and 32 outputs with extensive tour sequence support.

Complex work on Wharf
Provider of integrated electronic security, SDA Protec is embarking on the next phase of additions to the security infrastructure at Canary Wharf, London.

SDA has been working with the security management at Canary Wharf since 1999 having initially upgraded the estate-wide control system and cameras. The continuous development of the estate has called for increases in CCTV coverage, access control and alarms monitoring.

The company, a division of Protec plc, has provided systems for new retail areas, car parking, and management offices, along with a new 'state of the art' control room incorporating 'dealer desks', flat screen monitors and a large network based digital recording system.

Full use is being made of the Cisco network installed as part of the SDA contract to stream data and record activities using the latest CCTVWare digital recording technology from Loronix.

The 86 acre development comprises of fifteen office buildings, two retail malls, a conference and banqueting centre, a Docklands Light Railway station, a London Under-ground station, landscaped grounds and five car parks (in addition to car underground parking).

Commenting on the project so far, Mike Nevill, Sales and Marketing Director for SDA Protec said it was "...without doubt, one of the most high profile commercial electronic security contracts ever undertaken.

"The complex networking requirements and the ability to deliver the engineering expertise has been critical to Canary Wharf management, and key to our re-appointment for this next phase."

Top flight system
Orbis Property Protection has installed its Oasis GSM wire free alarm system technology at Pans-hanger Airfield, Hertfordshire, to protect the fleet of light aircraft as well as buildings, hangers and maintenance facilities.

With a growing fleet of Cessna, Piper, and Robinson helicopters as well as Pitts Special aerobatics aircraft, Panshanger is home to the East Hertfordshire Flying School and the increased security is welcome news to the private owners who keep their aircraft there.

Airfield owner, Hairn Merkado, said: "I'm frequently away on business or engaged in ferrying light aircraft over from America for customers who intend to base them at the field. Most of our fleet is parked on and around the apron, with some aircraft stored in open blister hangers.

  "What we needed was something that would not only act as a deterrent, but a system that would also alert airfield staff personally if an alarm was activated, not just ring all night!"

Airfield Manager, Stuart Reeve, said:"Should any incident occur, and the alarm be triggered, an alerting text message is sent straight to my mobile phone."

Dave Harmon of Orbis, a former pilot himself, said the Oasis system was especially useful in aviation environments and offered the capability to monitor multiple alarm zones as well as work with infrared beam perimeter protection units or RF Perimeter Cabling Systems.

"For the Panshanger installation we configured the system to suit the risk profile of each part of the airfield. This meant we paid special attention to protecting the flying school clubhouse with PIR movement detectors and door-monitoring contacts linked to the Oasis control box, with infrared beams covering the apron, blister hangers and maintenance facility.

"By using the local GSM network, the system can be monitored, interrogated and set/unset remotely via mobile phone, central station or a PC using secure software."

College protected
Despite being in one of the UK's most deprived areas, Hackney Community College, a seven acre site housing 800 computers and other valuable equipment, has not suffered a forced break-in or any other serious crime in the last four years.

At the forefront of the integrated security system is a 92-camera installation carried out by Envo-Tech.

The college is one of the largest further education campuses in the UK with over 14,000 registered students.

It now has a complete integrated security solution combining CCTV, access control, alarm detectors and, where needed, physical barriers to identify unauthorised visitors during the day and unwanted intruders at night.

Apart from the access control system at the front entrance, which clearly plays a part in persuading those with criminal intent (including drug dealers) to go elsewhere, the security measures are discrete and do not create an intimidating atmosphere for the students.

Paul Trask, Senior Contracts Manager for Envo-Tech, responsible for project managing the installation, said different types of Sanyo cameras were used around the site depending on whether it was an indoor or outdoor scene and the lighting conditions.

"The Sanyo VCC 5972P was on the top of the shopping list. It uses DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology to cope with low light nighttime situations and also has an "intelligent" back light compensation function to handle strong sunlight conditions."

Also used were Sanyo VCC-9612P colour dome cameras, providing discrete surveillance of outdoor areas.

The cameras relay high-res images to a control room in a highly secure area of the college. Images are recorded onto one of four Sanyo (TLS-9168P) 168 hour time-lapse recorders or two digital recorders.

Guildford goes digital
A new digital recording system using RAID fail-safe storage, is helping to combat crime in Guildford town centre.

PI Vision won the contract to supply its new 2nd Eyes Enterprise digital recording system through Guildford based Photon (TG) Ltd.

It is the first town centre system to use RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) level 5 hard disc drive storage for the entire archive period, a total of 2.1 Tbytes.

A total of 36 cameras monitor the town, with a further nine being planned and installed. The 2nd Eyes Enterprise system was selected for its image quality, reliability, ease of use and scalability. The system gives high resolution images with full frame refresh as standard.

Flexibility of storage with the 2nd Eyes Enterprise system enabled Guildford Borough Council to select a storage medium that best suited the application.

Geoff Fowler, Principal Engineer at Guildford said: "The introduction of digital technology is an important step in maintaining an advanced CCTV system for the town."

Castle fortified
Secure Engineering, the Maidstone based CCTV specialists won the contract to install a prestigious new system at Leeds Castle in Kent.

High profile visitors to conferences have caused an increasing need for CCTV but the system will also be used for observing the extensive grounds where thousands of visitors enjoy the range of activities at Leeds Castle, ranging from concerts to fireworks, children's events, open air theatre and hot air ballooning.

Secure Engineering Ltd, in addition to supplying and installing the camera equipment, has also used its expertise to assist Leeds Castle with the development of its own on-site CCTV control room.

"An up to date CCTV system is essential nowadays. It provides us with an extremely valuable tool to ensure all our visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience", says Andrew Wells, Curator.

"Secure Engineering Ltd has colour-coded both the cameras and the camera columns in matt black to ensure that they are as unobtrusive as possible."

The fully functional cameras use the latest technology to provide colour images in very low light conditions. They provide full 360 degree coverage with no trailing cables, and a 22 x zoom capability.

Secure Engineering Ltd also used the latest video transmission and telemetry technology to solve distance problems. Because of the size of the Castle estate, some of the cameras installed are up to 1.5km from the CCTV control room. Cat 5 cabling was installed at a fraction of the cost of traditional fibre-optic cabling.

Secure Engineering Ltd also list Connex, Kent County Council, Thames Water, the Ministry of Defence, the Prison Service, Babtie Traffic Systems, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, JET, Leeds Castle, Powergen and the Pentagon Shopping Centre, Chatham among their customers.

Stainless steel tower

Barrier Surveillance has installed an impressive stainless steel CCTV column produced by WEC (Welding Engineering Ltd) to fit in with the prestigious new Quayside development in Gateshead. The Darwen based manufacturer produced the 8 metre column to be in keeping with the development which includes the new Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the future planned Music Centre Gateshead and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. The Gateshead Council Development and Enterprise team contacted the Darwen based manufacturer, who have been producing CCTV structures for nearly 25 years and invited WEC to undertake the project of producing an 8 metre stainless steel CCTV column. The column for the Gateshead Council Development and Enterprise team, had to include two doors and an 8 point stainless steel set of locks to house the CCTV and telecoms equipment. WEC were also given the order to manufacture a further seven structures for the project. WEC Group’s workforce, comprising of over 100 personnel, used the latest laser cutting technology and 3D modelling to complete the project in under two weeks.

Backing the back-up

Total Security Protection, a Sony SAIF installer, specified Sony CCTV equipment for a major CCTV and access control installation project at the refurbished South coast data centre of SunGard, disaster recovery specialists. SunGard required a high spec system for the site, as the company offers a back up service to corporate clients, in the event of an incident rendering their existing systems unusable. It covers services such as data systems, space and work areas, computer rooms as well as web hosting facilities. SunGard has a long-standing working relationship with Total Security Protection, working with them at all their locations. The system included 12 Sony EX-Wave static colour cameras and 15 high-speed dome cameras, fitted with Sony modules. These internal and external cameras were then linked to 12 Sony 20 inch colour monitors and two Sony HSR-2P digital recorders, all located in a central control room. The data centre covers a large area and is surrounded by woodland and the exterior security incorporates perimeter protection for the three main entrances. As soon as anyone enters the site, control room staff are instantly aware as perimeter protection triggers the CCTV cameras to preset positions. Internally, the Sony CCTV installation integrates with a Janus access control system. The SunGard building was operational throughout the entire time that the project was running and, as part of the installation, Total Security Protection had to keep the old system in working condition whilst the new system was being installed.

Speed domes for car park

Visitors to the multi-storey car park at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) are now assured of round the clock safety thanks to the installation of one of the most sophisticated CCTV camera networks of its kind. The £85,500 digital system was designed, supplied and installed by locally based electronic security and CCTV specialist SPS, using equipment supplied exclusively by major nation-wide contract distributor CSD Professional through its Poole branch. All 12 levels of the car park have been installed with speed dome CCTV cameras, with further fixed cameras at each of the three pedestrian exit and entry points. CSD worked closely with SPS to provide a tailor-made system for the centre to include the latest in high-tech cameras.