On the Case

Rising protection

Access Control and Automation of Edinburgh has installed armoured rising bollards at the headquarters of Fife Constabulary which houses the force's communications hub.

The company installed Armoured Strabuc rising bollards from BPT Automation to control vehicle access.

Visitors to the HQ can only gain access to this restricted area after they have reported to reception and been verified.

Raised and lowered from a secure control device within the HQ, each Strabuc consists of a casing which is secured into the ground, an electro hydraulic pump motor, a piston assembly and the steel sleeve that acts as the post.

A remote control board feeds the pump/motor assembly which drives the hydraulics.

Integral lamps and a flashing lamp shows the bollard is moving, an operation that takes only six seconds.

The installer was called in at the last minute to install the units with a three week deadline for completion. Spokesman, Barry Law, said BPT "pulled out all the stops" and achieved delivery on site in two weeks and installation took four days.

Eagle eye on parkers

B&P Security Services has undertaken a complete fit-out of the new London Parking Enforcement Control Room for the Corporation of London.

They also installed new video and control sources from the City of London Police HQ and street watch systems used for parking and administration.

The new system allows officers to carry out parking enforcement and management using selected cameras from the city's overall CCTV matrix using desktop monitors linked to their control boards.

At the same time, overall views of the city are seen on a flat screen multiple image display.

B&P Security Services has a reference list of major projects and blue chip clients and complete projects ranging in value from £20k to £2.5m.

School tracks intruders

Custom Security Services of Derwood in Dorset has designed and installed an advanced auto-tracking dome camera system at Queen Elizabeth's school in Wimborne which automatically tracks any intruder.

The Dorset school is the first to take advantage of the advanced cameras which can follow intruders as they move around the site, including the grounds and sports fields.

The system includes seven Bosch AutoDome PTZ cameras fitted with the advanced AutoTrack option covering the grounds. Further static indoor cameras cover the canteen and library.

The AutoTrack allows the cameras to automatically track an intruder and record their movements, meaning no guard tours need to be set up. Cameras simply watch for any 'defined' movement caused by an intruder and follow it, triggering recording and capturing the event on the DVR, and raising an alarm. Users can set the AutoTrack option to trigger only on selected movement or when an alarm is triggered so that false alarms are not recorded.

The system also includes a 16-channel Bosch Divar DVR connected to the school data network allowing teaching and security staff to view images from any camera by logging on to the nearest PC.

Kevin Brougham, the school business manager, said: "All too often intruders pass out of the capture area of CCTV cameras as they move around the grounds … but with AutoTrack no more intruders are disappearing off the scene."

First city networked

Locarno has become the first city in Switzerland to install a "video over IP" network solution.

Installed by John Lay Electronics, part of Gruppo Sicurezza SA, the system uses Milestone Systems software and Panasonic network cameras.

In addition to technical benefits like flexibility and future scalability, the surveillance provides a feeling of personal safety without being obtrusive, says Milestone.

Growing problems with vandalism and crime were affecting tourism, which the city's economy depends on.

Unauthorised refuse was being dumped on a regular basis, resulting in escalating costs for the town.

The project was a co-operation between the Information Technology Centre, the Police Department and the Technical Law offices.

Focusing on three zones – high traffic, waste disposal and historical areas – the aim was to get a deterrent without any 'Big Brother' overtones.

Restaurant goes IP

Milestone has installed a new IP surveillance system at the Bristol restaurant of the microbrewery and restaurant chain, Zerodegrees.

A total of 16 Axis Communications network cameras, two Axis video servers and Milestone XProtect software has been deployed at the restaurant.

The company deployed Milestone XProtect to manage and store the video output from a total of 24 cameras for a 30-day period.

In addition to meeting local authority licensing requirements for 30 day recording in public entertainment facilities, the system also helps head office staff to view the Bristol restaurant remotely for people counting and analysis of ways of improving service. There are also plans to integrate the Axis network cameras with Milestone XProtect Transact software to provide automated monitoring of cash handling at all tills.

ADT handles it all

ADT is undertaking a major security project with the Port of Cork, one of Ireland's busiest ports, to help the port satisfy the requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.

ADT has been appointed as the sole contractor to implement the integrated security system upgrade at Cork. Work on the project began in early June.

The system uses advanced CCTV to enable full access control from a central point. Access gates to berths can be opened and closed remotely using information passed along fibre optic cables to the control centre.

Point to point microwave links between the cameras allow them to be controlled from a distance of up to two miles. Vehicle number plate recognition (VNPR) software allows scrutiny of movements.

ADT Europe is managing both the engineering and electrical aspects of the system which will be fully integrated with the port's existing computer systems.

Captain Pat Farnan, Deputy Chief Executive and Harbour Master said ADT had displayed "an impressive level of technical know-how and expertise”.

"The ability to manage this development as the sole contractor for all of the engineering and electrical work was a key factor in awarding this project,” he said.

Dublin fully fibred

AMG Systems is providing part of the fibre optic transmission network for Dublin City Council's traffic management and control.

AMG is supplying the drop and insert fibre optic transmission network linking CCTV, traffic signal controllers and other equipment to the council's control room.

The new tender builds on previous AMG motorway and road installations in the area, extending the existing camera surveillance networks and adding new projects.

The council gets real-time views of traffic flows and can monitor the progress of emergency services in dealing with any traffic incidents.

Alan Hayes, AMG's MD, said the Dublin council team were among the first wave of users that have realised the advantages of real-time, digital video transmissions.

System links county council

EA Group is undertaking the design, selection, installation and maintenance of security systems for Surrey County Council employees at locations throughout the county. The equipment selected will network all the properties and provide for the future requirements of a local authority infrastructure.

Features within the system include building management monitoring, access control of personnel and vehicles, ID card production, intruder and personal attack detection and voice over IP.

Nedap AEOS has been selected for security management because it is a modular and IP based solution that communicates with any IP based devices across the network. AEOS can seamlessly integrate the MIFARE cards Surrey County Council has chosen as its personal identity device, and offers a sabotage proof separation of the MIFARE reader and antenna.

Unobtrusive domes fit in

Sevenoaks-based DGH Security Installations has completed an update of CCTV cameras in Farnham using mini domes throughout the town centre.

DGH used unobtrusive Vicon Surveyor mini domes in the installation, which includes areas of Georgian frontages where aesthetics are guarded jealously.

Farnham Town Council has been employing Vicon domes for ten years and usage has evolved with the functionality of the cameras.

Alec Herd, CCTV Coordinator with Surrey Police, who operate the CCTV system in partnership with the council, praised the features in the five-inch wide domes such as the ability to set cameras from whichever keyboard you happen to be at.

"It's possible to go into each camera's memory and reprogramme it, changing, say, iris and shutter speeds or implementing privacy zones," he said. "The facility where you can "teach" a dome to perform a certain tour is valuable. It's also useful to be able to mix pre-sets with time-outs so that after a given period a dome that has performed a tour will revert to a predetermined location."

The system had a dramatic effect on crime and ram raiding, he said.

Pride of the lions

One of the West End's most successful musicals, The Lion King, has installed Derwent's UFLED illuminators to improve safety on stage under low light conditions.

The production relies on CCTV cameras to view moving set pieces while the stage lights are down so two UFLED illuminators were installed at either side of the stage to allow these cameras to see in the dark.

Derwent illuminators, which are specifically designed for long life, low running costs and even illumination, were selected to help cut down maintenance and running costs.

UFLED is a compact, LED illuminator with a low power consumption of only 50W and an average LED life of more than five years. The unit effectively illuminates distances of 50m+ when used with IR sensitive cameras.

Passengers scanned

The United States Transportation Security Administration has installed two GE EntryScan walk-through explosives detectors for passenger screening at the just-opened International Terminal D of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

The GE EntryScan3, which is popularly known as the "Puffer Machine," has already been deployed to dozens of high-risk facilities worldwide to help detect explosives. Passengers stand in the detection portal for a few seconds while it releases several "puffs" of air that stir up particles clinging to exposed skin and clothes. The unit then captures and analyses the resulting air sample for traces of explosives.

Global protection

London Security Shutters were called in when Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London planned to exhibit the court records and other original documents regarding Guy Fawke's and the Gunpowder Plot.

Security consultants for the National Archive recommended some additional security measures to protect valuable documents that were going to be exhibited as part of the Gunpowder Plot exhibition. They recommended expandable security grilles on all fire exits within the exhibition area and so one of Trellicor Ltd's distributors, London Security Shutters, were called in to do the job.

Three Trellidor Plus grilles were fitted over the fire exits, each with a lift-up track so that, in the event of a fire, there would be no risk of the public tripping and falling on their way out of the theatre.

Helping migration at Boots

Certainty Security are carrying out CCTV installations at major Boots stores throughout the UK, including the company's flagship operation in Oxford Street, London.

Varifocal 3-8mm lenses from Rainbow CCTV are being used in dome camera units from Mark Mercer. The lenses are available as a day/night model which corrects the focus shift that occurs when using IR lighting.

QuickSwitch fixed domes are used internally. The client is recording digitally at its large stores and there is ongoing migration to DVRs from analogue equipment.

Although monitoring is currently performed on site, the digital equipment has the potential for remote surveillance.

The next Boots store to benefit from the units will be a large branch in the Canada Place shopping mall at Canary Wharf.

The lenses feature all-glass optics. They are colour corrected and compatible with all leading camera brands. All Rainbow lenses are covered by a four-year warranty.