Wigan is currently undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment and an essential part of this new scheme is ensuring that people feel safe in the area. One part of the solution comes in the form of CCTV. There are currently 550 cameras in operation across the borough, with continual additions and improvements being made.
In the town centre itself, Terry Bolton, principle officer for Wigan Council, wanted to update the existing kit which was rather complex to operate and had become expensive to maintain. “We were especially keen to make zooming and focusing easier so that operators could more effectively track suspects,” he says.
Installers Unique Integrated Systems Ltd (UIS) were called in to advise on the project. “UIS have been the Council Approved Supplier for almost seven years now and the relationship we’ve built up over the years means that we know they’ll give us excellent advice and service,” Bolton says.
CCTV on trial
The Council has a policy of trialling its CCTV equipment before it’s purchased. “Dome cameras were initially trialled for the job, but it was found that blind spots prevented them from getting the best view of the surrounding area. The Esprit cameras offer us an overt solution to CCTV,” Bolton says. “People don’t know where the dome cameras are looking, but this is obvious with the Esprit cameras and we’ve found this to be more of a deterrent.”
The control room has an impressive wall of rear screen projection units along with individual Samsung and Bosch flat screen monitors. “As with the cameras, we trialled a number of flat screen units before making a decision,” Bolton says. “Interestingly, the morning shift favoured the Samsung screens, while the later shift thought the Bosch screens gave a better image quality in reduced light conditions. It made sense to get both so that the best pictures could be viewed whatever the time of day or night.”
The Pelco cameras have all been positioned on poles that afford operators a 360 degree view of the area. Each of the columns is within view of another giving overlapping footage. This means that no key area is overlooked and, should a column develop a problem, one of the adjoining columns can cover the area.
The equipment was supplied by Norbain, who UIS has worked with for many years.
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