That's the spirit!

Often isolated and containing valuable contents, warehouses on industrial estates can require installers to come up with advanced security solutions.

With few buildings occupied at night, there is lots of scope for opportunist theft and the security requirement is exacting.

National Security Systems (NSS) has provided comprehensive intruder protection for a new £2.5million 35,000sq ft cash and carry alcohol warehouse in the North of England.

Although NSS is based in Barking, London, recommendations from pleased clients are taking installation staff all over the country, including this latest site.

Managing Director Dave Naran said: "Initially it was frightening to think about working in this area as we are based in London and Newcastle is a long way to go to carry out installation work.

"However, the size of this project made it more exciting and challenging. We had to make sure that any kit we used was of a very high standard and had a proven track record."

Close working relationships

Extensive use was made of Norbain security solutions and NSS worked closely with Shaun Southall, internal sales representative, who has collaborated on many projects with them.

"With his input we put a system together which performed as we expected while maintaining cost efficiency," said Naran. "Security was paramount – the recorded CCTV images have to be of the highest standard."

The Excel warehouse is sited on the Drum Industrial Estate near Chester-le-Street, not far from the landmark Angel of the North statue.

Storing spirits and wine, the warehouse has a number of major access points: a rear access for pallet deliveries sited within a gated, chain-fenced secure enclosure, several side doors for staff access, a reception area and a front exit for customers, sufficiently wide to accommodate trolleys loaded with cases of drink.

The warehouse is already proving popular with local small off-licences, despite only having opened in January.

Fork lifts are constantly moving pallet loads of beer, wine and spirits into the cavernous interior. Inside, dwarfed by metal racking that contains row upon row of alcohol, customers push their flat-bed trolleys round the wide aisles while, all the time, security is monitoring every step of the process.

Suited to hostile environments

One of the key features evident throughout the warehouse is a substantial array of Pyronix Equinox E dual technology detectors. Those sited within the warehouse are designed to survive hostile environments, withstanding the extremes of temperature experienced in large, metal enclosures – freezing cold on winter nights, extreme heat on summer days, and rapid temperature changes. The major rear access, and a small side door, are covered by a number of these detectors, securing every approach. The door is also protected by standard surface mounted contacts and a coded keypad.

The front accesses, several side doors and the main rear access have steel roller shutters and don't require contacts, but are comprehensively covered by PIRs.

Said Naran: "The intruder system was as important as the CCTV element of the security solution. The location of the perimeter protection solutions was critical, in order to ensure a police response and satisfy the insurance companies.

"Before the system could guarantee a police response, we needed to be included on the Durham Police constabulary's approved list of installers."

They visited the site and were impressed by the installation, he said.

High security for high value goods

Inside the warehouse, one aisle attracts particular attention: it is viewed by two Samsung Day night high resolution CCTV cameras (SDN520), fitted with Vista varifocal lenses (VDD35V814), one suspended from the ceiling at one end of the aisle and the other attached to the wall at the other end.

If the warehouse owner decides to expand the system, spare cabling capacity within the control system will enable it

These allow extremely high definition images to be generated regardless of light levels. The focus of their attention is the spirits aisle, in which can be found a vast array of vodka, whisky, champagne and other expensive products.

A number of these cameras also provide surveillance for the exterior of the building and are protected from fogging by external heated housings (TPH1000). The site also utilises Vista infra-red lamps (VIR50) to ensure that images can be captured effectively at night.

The cash office is protected by two Vista high resolution internal dome cameras (VFD4V9/CWe), which provide discreet but comprehensive surveillance.

Pyronix Magnum TQ PIRs cover the reception and front office areas and another similar internal dome camera is sited within the front reception entrance area, ensuring the arrival of visitors is recorded.

A security keypad and proximity readers, installed when the building was originally constructed, also maintain access control.

The control panel that coordinates the entire security solution is sited in a small office close to the main warehouse. A Redcare GSM dual path system is connected to it.

Room for expansion

If the warehouse owner decides to expand the system at a future date, spare cabling capacity within the control system will enable it.

Two NSS staff took one week to complete the installation in December 2004, during the warehouse's fitting out period.

The biggest challenge they faced was the length of the cable runs in the massive enclosure, and the considerable height of the building. These constraints meant that installing the cables required specialised platform access equipment.

Warehouse owner Sandeep Chahal says that the decision to install such a comprehensive security system was "thirty percent down to insurance".

He adds: "You have also got to consider business disruption. If someone tries to break in it makes a considerable amount of mess, although it is unlikely in the extreme that they will actually manage to get in. However, under these circumstances it is quite hard to continue operating and it is likely that business would be halted for a day or two while a clean up was undertaken, with consequent financial losses. Therefore having an effective and comprehensive security system is crucial."

He specified the current system because he has had experience of similar solutions on a smaller scale in his family's Post Offices, another environment where close attention to security is vital. He said he preferred proximity readers for access control because they were "a lot easier to set and control.

"The work here was all done very neatly," he said. "The installer has done an excellent job."

Success brings further work

Dave Naran adds that thanks to the success of this contract he has also been asked to install a security solution at another nearby warehouse, which will also be mainly supplied by Norbain.

"An officer from the Durham Police force inspected the system we installed in the Excel warehouse before issuing it a URN.

"They were very impressed – they issued the number within two days. They were really happy with the system and the quality of products really made a difference."

Norbain had been like a joint partner. "Without their help this installation would have been difficult."

The success of this project has enabled NSS to secure other contracts in the Newcastle area, and the installer now has plans to expand to the north east in the near future.