CCTV, access control and alarms have been connected on one single network set up to feed back to a control room fitted with i-Comply’s V-TAS Pro software.
The software was set up to integrate with multiple technologies from different manufacturers, such as an Xtralis receiver in the control room, PAC access control, Honeywell alarm panels, Redwall perimeter detection and multiple CCTV camera manufacturers on-sit.
Images are then transmitted over a dedicated wireless/broadband network to be displayed, controlled and archived in the control room.
A V-Tas back office database management system then retains forms and data structure, including all reports from the manned guarding teams and mobile patrols.
V-Tas’ data overlay and mapping functionality details when, where and what type of incidents have taken place, and is provided an intuitive ‘incident map,’ “to assist the easy identification of any emerging patterns,” i-Comply said.
The move has been praised for saving Edinburgh Council money protecting its mix of occupied and vacant council-owned buildings that were previously managed separately.
Frank MacFadden, Edinburgh City Council’s general manager of security, said: “Our council department operates almost as a private company within the council network, so the detailed reporting of our daily workload and performance is invaluable to justify our position.
“Instead of the constant leak of funds into the private sector the council used to experience, using the integrated technological ability we now have available at our fingertips, we can provide other departments with a full and auditable service, for a set fee – all within the council structure. This has streamlined the accounting process in council departments, and saved a quantifiable amount of the council’s budget – around GB pound 100k per year at a current estimate.”
Replacing a legacy
MacFadden arrived at the council in 2009, and was previously in a similar role at Glasgow council.
He said: “In the boom times of a few years ago, vacant and unused council buildings were an asset, as they could be sold to developers who were clamouring for period, city-based properties to develop. Since the economic downturn however, and the lack of movement in the housing sector, developers no longer require these sites or buildings, leading to an increasing stock of unused sites, in addition to the many functioning buildings in the portfolio that we need to protect.
“This increasing level of stock means that security management strategies need to come of age. In the past, and when I arrived here at Edinburgh, security for the council’s building network, both used and unused, was seen as an unavoidable outgoing, that couldn’t be reduced. A myriad of private manned-guarding and disparate security technology companies were all vying for an ever-increasing slice of the council’s budget.
“This had resulted in individual security arrangements for each building, and legacy electronic systems with no interconnectivity across the council’s properties. In addition to the operational difficulties of this arrangement, we were also experiencing a large proportion of false alarms – so many in fact, that a number of our properties were beginning to be denied police response,
Smart management
Having previously employed i-Comply technology during his time at Glasgow council, MacFadden decided to use the same system.
Inside the new control room, operators are able to view internal and external areas of each council property on a large monitor-wall, and get instant visual verification of any alarm activation in the council’s building network.
“We’re currently responsible for ten individual council buildings and two hundred schools across the Edinburgh City Council area,” MacFadden said. “With such a large amount of properties and an even larger amount of cameras, we cannot physically monitor all of them, all of the time. This is where our technology partner, i-Comply has proved invaluable, by providing the control room with only the visual and operational information that is needed at any particular moment, streamlining our operators’ workloads.”
Powerful reporting
“Using V-Tas’ powerful reporting functionality means we can produce customer reports that show a detailed story of the level of service they receive for their money, and allows us to calculate exactly how the changes we have introduced have benefited the performance of the service – in addition to how much money the council has saved overall.
“These reports have now become a great advert for our services too, providing irrefutable and detailed evidence of how utilising our service can positively impact on performance and economy.”
The modular nature of V-Tas Pro has been designed to provide the ultimate in end-user flexibility and system configuration, and has allowed i-Comply to create specific applications to address the individual needs of Edinburgh Council.
Security on the move
The system has also been used to track security personnel and vans around the city, implementing guard tours, protecting guards via a lone worker protection system and tracking council assets via RFID tag systems and interfacing with the Tom-Tom GPS navigation systems fitted on each council vehicle.
Effective management
Also featured in the Edinburgh network, is i-Comply’s key and asset control module. It has been designed to provide audited, paperless key and asset management, “replacing traditional and labour intensive paper-based peg systems to track keysets for premises, and council equipment, such as communication and tracking equipment,” MacFadden said.
“Thanks to an innovative way of working combined with the mix of advanced technology, we now enjoy an economical security network that delivers auditable results, alongside significant cost savings.”
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