SmartTrack, equipped with a concealed PTZ camera that glides along at speeds of 13 feet per second, covers the 250,000 sq ft of the centre.
“With a building of this size and with the amount of activity that goes on, there is no way that a conventional CCTV system would be cost effective to install or efficient to operate,” said Brian Cottrell, WH Smith’s crime and facilities manager.
It enables an operator to swiftly position the camera over any aisle to observe suspicious activity. It can also be pre-programmed for up to six automatic tours, each of which can have up to 60 preset stop positions. Because it is hidden behind a mirrored enclosure and is virtually silent running, the camera is said to be a powerful deterrent.
Cottrell said the system, installed in the building to prevent theft taking place behind barriers such as racking, has saved WH Smith a considerable amount of capital expenditure. “We would have had to install a very large number of standard CCTV cameras to do the same job.”
Approximately 94 million items are picked out each year and six million packages despatched.
Although primarily installed for prevention and detection of theft, SmartTrack has provided WH Smith with additional benefits in health and safety and operational and compliance issues.
Intrepid, an approved installer of Sentry SmartTrack, specialises in EAS and CCTV solutions and has a client base including Armani, ASDA, B&Q, Jaeger, River Island, Sainsbury and Selfridges.