Grade 1 installer!

When Intruder International stepped up to the stage at the Security Excellence Awards 2002 to accept the trophy for Best Security Installer, it was due in large part to the company's completion of an impressive installation at London's Royal Exchange.

And although the judges of this category take in a range of installations carried out by the competing companies, this high profile project was one of the most impressive to be considered.

In the face of demanding requirements at this historic Grade 1 listed building, Intruder International installed a £100,000 integrated security system which won high praise from the customer for its "first class" quality of workmanship and sympathetic design.

Home to the London Stock Exchange, the Royal Exchange has been refurbished and now houses an exclusive collection of retail outlets.

The customer wanted an installation of CCTV, access control and intruder detection with central control. The system had to aid the fast response of the manned security team and a high degree of security was required because of the exclusive nature of the offices and retails outlets.

The system also had to be expandable and able to cope with a proposed new dedicated security control room.

A prime design requirement was sympathy to the listed building status.

The design solution
Intruder installed 15 cameras connected to a Loronix digital CCTV system with 390Gb storage. This allowed high quality images to be recorded at 1 frame per second, 24 hours a day for up to 31 days. Because the digital solution is so compact compared to analogue recorders, relocation of the control room will be made easier. The high quality CCTV footage has already helped in the conviction of shoplifters.

Cable installation was a "significant obstacle" to be overcome says the company "… in particular, the balancing act between providing a fully integrated system that could be easily expanded and the disruption to the fabric of the Grade 1 building".

Throughout the project the company consulted closely with the architects and, to make sure cabling was kept to a minimum, all cameras were run on Cat 5 cabling instead of co-ax. Easier to work with than co-ax, Cat 5 cabling allows up to four cameras to transmit high quality images along one cable. System cabling has also been run like a ring around the rear of the retail outlets allowing tenants to easily connect their systems to it.

Ornate gas lamps
Intruder International fitted small, discreet domes into the ceilings of the entrance foyers and also custom designed and manufactured high speed dome cameras that fitted into ornate gas lamps.

A Galaxy intruder detection system (one panel and 12 PIRs) connected via RS232 serial communication links, again further reducing cabling demands.

The CCTV and intruder detection systems have been closely integrated. Cameras are mostly set to rove. However, should an alarm occur, a camera is automatically zoomed to the area, images are displayed in the control room and a security team is quickly dispatched to the incident.

Access control is a Janus system from Grosvenor Technology with HID prox card readers. Unauthorised access will lead to an alarm and automatic CCTV coverage.

Intruder International says that the high level of security in the building has been an important element in persuading exclusive retailers to open outlets there.

Following the successful completion of the project, the Royal Exchange management team has awarded the company an additional £100,000 contract to provide external CCTV monitoring.

In the grading system of the Quality Audit undertaken by the main fit-out contractor of the project, Intruder International was awarded between "9-Excellent" and "10-Perfect".

In its submission to the Security Excellence Awards judges, the company included a reference from Gerald Harris, Centre Manager, who said Intruder were presented with a "challenging" environment: "The finished work has been a great success and has been well received by the tenants. The quality of workmanship has been first class … "Intruder were also required to be innovative in their approach, as evidenced in the design of the dome cameras in the original antique gas lamps and in the cabling schemes which allow easy connection for the retail outlets and future-proof expansion.

"Another important development is the integration of the alarm and surveillance system. Any intruder or access control alarm will automatically zoom the nearest camera to the affected area and provide my security team with the information needed for a fast response.

"At all times during the project Intruder International's engineers and management provided excellent technical support and this is continuing now that the centre is fully operational"

Customer service
Specialising in integrated system, Intruder, based in Great Dunmow, Essex, was founded in 1991. It now has 42 employees at four regional offices throughout the UK. It operates a fully documented quality system and is NACOSS accredited for intruder alarms, CCTV and access control.

Repeat custom makes up 75 per cent of its business and the company offers:

• Freephone support allowing transfer from the Freephone number to any member of staff at any regional office or mobile;
  
• Reporting (every project is assigned a project engineer who has direct access to management/directors. There are also mandatory weekly progress reports);
  
• Call logging (Mentor Technology's CASH for Windows for live logging of calls, whether for maintenance, callouts or servicing;
  
• Modem support (allowing Intruder to dial in to correct problems, update software and provide support);
  
• Documentation (O&M manuals produced for every project and updated whenever there is a change to the system)

The company also submitted for consideration an installation at the production facility of Cadbury's Bristol site. An access control system had to be completed without any downtime to the existing system or manufacturing plant. Existing wiring had to be used and the system had to be compatible with existing magstripe cards. The customer wanted a high degree of involvement during and after completion of the project and wanted full control of maintenance and upgrades. Temporary wiring and phase commissioning had to be utilised. Access control readers were installed on 20 doors/turnstiles. All the clients requirements were met.