<b>Bradford on camera</b>
ADT recently gave Bradford’s popular National Museum of Photography, Film and Television a security facelift with the introduction of new networkable digital CCTV from Dedicated Micros.
The museum, the only one of its kind in the UK, contains some valuable and unique exhibits, so security was a key area to address during a recent relaunch and refurbishment.
John Archbold, a sales consultant at ADT and former Crime Prevention Officer for North Yorkshire Police, explains: “Grainy picture quality and wide angle shots meant that very few camera images could be used for evidential purposes. We narrowed the system to focus on key fields of view and opted for a user-friendly digital solution where images would be easy to retrieve and manage.” To this end, the company installed a 16-way Digital Sprite Lite multiplexer, with seven fixed cameras focused over all the entrances and exits with automatic activity detection and capacity for system growth.
And with incident footage saved to hard drive, there are no video tape management issues and they can review and play back footage without having to pause recording.
The museum is planning to network the system in the near future with live and recorded video delivered straight from the cameras to managerial Pcs located around the building.
Says Museum Chief Warder Bob Cuckson: “Rather than having to sit in the control room all day to view the camera images, I will soon be able to view what is happening from my general office.” <b>Under control in Cheshire</b>
Street Cam Ltd is refurbishing the CCTV system in Ellesmere Port and Neston town centres in Cheshire, as a result of wear and tear on VCRs and cameras installed in 1995, and the Council’s desire to upgrade to the latest equipment available.
As the first part of the upgrade, which will take place over the next five years, Street Cam installed a range of control equipment supplied by Baxall, including Pyramid, a matrix switching system specifically designed for medium- to large-sized applications such as town centres.
Pyramid links all the camera inputs (seven in Neston and 25 in Ellesmere Port) and monitor outputs, allowing any camera to be held and sequenced on any monitor. The matrix is controlled via Baxall ZKX keyboards, ergonomically designed for ease of use by the operator and featuring an LCD display for instant camera/monitor identification.
They also control camera functions, VCRs and five Baxall ZMX Plus multiplexers. All images are fed back to a 24-hours-a-day monitoring station operated by the Council in Ellesmere Port police station.
<b>Automation on the Thames</b>
Came Automation, an Atlas Group company, has automated five pontoon security gates at Bray Marina on the Thames.
The gates, positioned on the floating pontoons at the point where they meet the ramps, often used to be inadvertently left open, causing problems with unauthorised access to the moorings.
Came Automation solved the problem by installing ram-type automators mounted on the gate posts. These pull or push the gates open as commanded by keypads located at the top of each ramp. The gates close automatically. The problem of the gates being left open has not occurred since, says the manager of the marina.
<b>Crossroads inn secured</b>
Leicester-based installers Secure One were responsible for the alarm system at the Peacock Inn at Redmile, famous as the local pub in TV soap Crossroads.
The 19th century coaching inn, once owned by the Duke of Rutland, is one of the filming locations for the Carlton TV programme. Although the exterior doors to the inn are open 24 hours a day, the restaurant and licensed areas on the ground floor are closed out of hours and are now protected by the latest security systems.
Ian Bass, Managing Director of Secure One, says: “We were thrilled when we got the order for the alarm system. We initially got it because the owner wanted a NACOSS-approved contractor and a speedy response.
“It is a great conversational point, and our new logo on the bell-box should be seen by millions of viewers.”<b>Integrated system is pure jeanius </b>
Sonic Security Services has completed an extension to the security installation at the European headquarters of the Levi Strauss clothing company.
The integrated system includes CCTV and access control equipment, with Security Enclosures providing the long-range external detection products.
These detectors provide coverage at key parts of the site and are directly interfaced into the site’s CCTV system to automatically position dome cameras in the event of an alarm.
Based in Kettering, a Sonic spokesperson commented: “The system required large external areas to be covered around the building. We chose a number of different models from the Security Enclosures range after having previous experience with the detectors.
“We have always found that Redwall sensors offer exceptional reliability and they have provided Levi’s with a cost-effective solution for its site.”<b>SAIF scheme in Redcar</b>
Based in the North-east, Crimewatch Systems Ltd is part of the Sony Approved Installer Facilities (SAIF) scheme, a nationwide organisation of CCTV installers appointed by Sony to offer high-quality service.
The company recently completed a Sony-based security installation at the new multi-million pound Innovation Centre in Redcar, developed by UK Steel Enterprises (UKSE) to provide business facilities for small and medium-sized companies.
Officially opened by local MP and former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mo Mowlem, the project uses a combination of Sony cameras, monitors and digital recorders to provide 24-hour-a-day surveillance including both on and off-site monitoring.
As part of the Centre’s installation, Crimewatch Systems specified ten Sony SSC-DC50AP CCD fixed colour cameras linked to two Sony SSM-14N5E colour monitors and a Sony HSR-1P digital recorder.
The company also installed three fully functional Dennard domes with Sony colour/mono modules, again linked to the digital recording and monitoring equipment on site. All images are also transmitted via ISDN links to a dedicated remote central monitoring and response station.
Finally, to preserve the external appearance of the Centre and its surrounding environment, Crimewatch specified Rednet laser beams around the site perimeter, as an alternative to fencing.
<b>Banking on new gates</b>
APT Controls, the vehicle access control company, has installed two Fastgates at the entrance and exit of the Investment Bank in central London.
The bank previously had bi-folding gates, fitted when the building was first built in 1990. These proved to be unreliable, with breakdowns occurring almost every other day, so the company had had to resort to leaving the gates open permanently.
The existing intercom tagging system with an entry card was replaced by the Fastgates to give a more substantial form of security. These open and close in just two seconds, making them ideal for security needs of high-profile companies as the site is exposed only for the shortest possible time. Other benefits include silent operation and fast admittance of vehicles.
<b>Keyways in Quays way</b>
BPT-approved installer Keyways has installed two of BPT’s Combipost automatic rising bollards at the entrance to each of the three courtyards at a prestigious housing development at Salford Quays, Manchester.
The bollards were chosen instead of conventional swing gates, which would have looked overpowering in this type of setting. Also, the Combipost is completely self-contained, which means there is no need to run copper pipework underground, making installation and maintenance much easier.
During the day, the bollards are lowered to lie flush with the road surface and allow free access for visitors.
They are automatically raised in the evening to restrict access to residents only, who can operate the system using hand-held radio transmitters. One of the systems is also operated using a timer clock.
Vehicle safety is assured by loop detectors on either side of the bollards, which prevent them from rising until it is safe to do so. In addition, hydraulic pressure control is provided as a standard safety feature to avoid any risk of the bollard rising when a pedestrian is standing on it.
<b>Tracking railway vandals</b>
Sonitrol, a subsidiary of ADT Fire and Security, has developed a CCTV initiative that aims to capture dangerous railway vandals on camera. The system is being put on trial by Direct Rail Services (DRS), a major rail freight network.
Last year there were almost 30,000 instances of trespassing and vandalism on railway lines in the UK, costing more than GB pound 250 million as well as endangering the lives of thousands of drivers and passengers.
It is believed that 50 per cent of train accidents are the result of malicious acts, with concrete, branches and other objects being thrown from bridges over railway lines on to the tracks.
Other incidents include dangling objects at just the right height to break through the driver’s windscreen.
In an attempt to catch vandals in the act, two cameras are fitted to the front of the trains to focus on approaching bridges: one to pick up suspects over 100m away, the other to focus on them at close range. Vandals often run to the other side of the bridge to see if any damage has been caused, so Sonitrol is also fitting cameras at the rear of the train.
Drivers can choose to run the cameras throughout the entire journey, or switch them on when required. All the images are stored on hard disk before being analysed by the train operator’s control room and passed to the British Transport Police if necessary. If immediate attention is required, images can be sent digitally using a mobile phone.
Andrew Ward, General Manager of Manchester-based Sonitrol, said:”We are confident the new system will meet the requirements of DRS by catching the most dangerous vandals. We hope that Sonitrol’s system will be adopted as the industry standard.”<b>Action stations</b>
Cam-Tech (UK), which has specialist knowledge of working within the railway industry, installed a sophisticated integrated security system in 38 stations across Merseyrail Electric, one of the busiest networks in the UK.
The project comprised 144 cameras with local control and off-site transmission. “A variety of colour cameras have been used, including static cameras featuring varifocal lenses for high image quality, and pan and tilt cameras with a 10:1 zoom lens,” explained Project Manager Wally Kenny.
“The number of cameras on each station varies depending on its size, but with an average of four per station.” The stations range from West Kirby to Chester-on-the-Wirral, Southport to Hunts Cross, and Ormskirk and Kirby to Liverpool.
As well as being installed on poles, the cameras are also installed in areas such as the ticket office and waiting rooms. Each station also features transmission technology using ISDN from the Vision Fire & Security ADPRO.
The installation has already been reported to have had a significant impact on Merseyrail’s operation. Incidents of vandalism have fallen, and there is evidence that the CCTV is acting as an effective deterrent.
The remote monitoring feature has also provided the network with a much wider management tool: overall operation and performance of stations can be monitored, as well as passenger flow at particular times of the day. This helps the company target its services and resources better, according to a spokesman.
<b>Wales watching</b>
Tyco Integrated Systems of Cambridge (formerly Philips Projects) has installed a cost-effective, PC-based CCTV system for traffic monitoring on the Welsh section of the M4 motorway network and the recently opened Second Severn Crossing.
The system includes 66 colour cameras with pan, tilt and zoom facilities and is fully networked to allow images to be monitored, shared and controlled from several separate control centres. A cost-effective feature of the system is that temporary cameras mounted on mobile poles can be linked into the system to provide coverage of traffic through roadworks and motorway improvement schemes.
In addition to normal motorway traffic management, the system is also designed to provide CCTV coverage to speed response to accidents and breakdowns.
TIS also supplied and installed the CCTV monitoring equipment for two police emergency control rooms at either end of the motorway, and a new South Wales traffic management and information centre in Newport.
<b>Valley Vista</b>
Swale Security Systems has installed Vista cameras and monitors from Norbain as part of an upgrade to Charlton Athletic Football Club’s stadium, known as The Valley.
With a new two-tier wing and increased capacity, surveillance needed to be improved in and around the ground – two-way radio was being used for information on crowd activity in certain areas, while the existing CCTV system could not cope with the wide range of lighting conditions.
The new system now consists of 28 cameras, with the result that every seat is covered by two or three cameras to ensure facial recognition. All other areas, including walkways, entrances/exits to the club, players’ tunnel, turnstiles and the shop are also covered.
Swale had just six weeks to complete the installation. A number of challenges presented themselves during this time, including the fact that part of the existing system had to remain operational to protect spectators at The London Bronco’s games.
The cabling had to be run across the tops of the stands due to the depth of concrete in the floor. Nevertheless, the installation was successfully completed to the deadline, and the club is said to be more than happy with the results.
<b>Chiropractic control</b>
Dorset-based BBS Security Systems has installed a Kantech access control system at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic, housed in a Grade 2 listed building in Bournemouth, which meant extra consideration and planning.
The system, which allows up to 8,000 card holders and 64 readers, uses Kantech KT-300 door controllers, Polaris mag-stripe readers, WinPass Software and T-Rex exit detectors for hands-free exiting.
As the system is run on Kantech WinPass Software, it allows the college to have expiry dates on the students’ cards. This means that when a course finishes, the card becomes invalid and saves the college having to collect the cards or remove them from the system.
<b>Nothing common about Wimbledon project</b>
ADT Fire and Security has installed door entry and access control equipment from BPT Security Systems at Wimbledon Parkside, a premier development built by Laing Homes.
Main entrances are protected by 12 Impro Multi-Scan II and two Multi-Scan IV pedestrian access control systems. Multi-Scan II supports two 125kHz proximity readers, while Multi-Scan IV is used to control four doors, although can be networked to a 64-door system.
The Multi-Scan systems simply grant or deny access to tag holders through the relevant doors, and individual tags can be suspended at any time without the need for deletion.
The same tags are also used to operate the Impro Dyna-Link vehicle access control system, which ADT Fire and Security installed at the two main entrance gates.
In addition to the access control systems, the company also installed a comprehensive BPT video and audio door entry system, using VTD/100 stainless steel digital video panels on the two main gates, and brass panels on the apartment blocks within the development.
In the apartments, images are seen on BPT System 100 handsets with 4in monitors. Audio-only handsets have also been installed.
<b>Healthy pursuit</b>
Clarke Instruments have completed the installation of an electrically released double turnstile and electric gate at The Devonshire Health and Racquet Club in Plymouth. The system operates with the club’s existing photo-based card system.
The latest in a number of tailored solutions, this installation, says Clarke Instruments, is an example of how the company is able to integrate its equipment with other products and access control systems as required by the customer.
<b>Close-up and child-proof</b>
With more than 125,000 people flocking to the site every year, and around 170 children a day, RV Systems had to come up with a child-proof monitor station for the Jodrell Bank Science Centre in Macclesfield, most famous for its enormous Lovell telescope.
To allow people to get a closer look at the 76m-wide telescope as it searches the universe, RV Systems designed and installed a system using a high-resolution TK-C420E colour camera from JVC.
“If we had installed a normal system it would have been taken apart in days by the sheer numbers of little fingers using the buttons,” said Les Cooper, Sales Engineer of RV. Instead, the company used a sheet of stainless steel, engraved with all the instructions, and an industrial joystick with hard-wearing steel buttons, allowing the children to move the camera to their hearts’ content. The pictures delivered from the JVC camera are clear enough for users to zoom right in on the telescope or explore other part of the site from the visitors’ centre.
<b>Hockey club challenge</b>
TJW Electrical, of Streatham, South London, specified and installed Computar CCTV and remote video transmission products from CBC (Europe) to tackle a variety of on-site security issues at Holcombe Hockey Club in Chatham, Kent.
A mix of YCH-03 colour cameras fitted with 5-40mm varifocal lenses provide coverage of the site’s club house, main car park and playing fields, including a GB pound 500,000 Astroturf pitch.
A DPLEX 16-II colour duplex multiplexer, ZM-TY115HA colour monitor, and CTR3024 timelapse VCR allow on-site monitoring, recording and play-back review.
The club also chose to employ remote monitoring to help deter a spate of vandalism.
Using Computar’s six-channel ACom6 video and audio transmitter plus CM Connect PC software, club committee members can gain access to pictures of their site via a standard PSTN telephone line connection.
A second Astroturf pitch, expanded CCTV and ACom6’s automated dial-up facility for visual verification of alarm triggers, are planned. Steve Craddock of TJW Electrical remarked on the added value brought about by integrating standalone CCTV with remote video transmission.
