CCTVNEWS
SPONSORED BY ALDRIDGE SECURITY
CCTV: A COMPLEX AND CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE
Britain leads the way in CCTV application.
The increasing use of CCTV in public
areas remains a controversial topic and
some will always view it as an invasion
of privacy, and others see it as “lazy
policing”
.
But there is no denying that it has had
a profound impact on crime prevention
and detection. The BSIA says that the UK
leads the way in the application of CCTV
and its use is wide-ranging, encompassing
facial-recognition technology, remote
video monitoring, video smoke detection,
mobile systems and Automatic Number
Plate Recognition as well as many other
functions.
Clearly, it is a complex area and in order
to provide guidance and simplification in
the the BSIA is very active in the European
standards arena and also develops its
own guides and codes of practice where
currently standards do not exist. It is
essential that satisfactory standards
are in place to cover the installation,
‘All stakeholders’ interests
should be represented’
maintenance and operation of equipment.
Rapid technological development renders
this complex, with a need for standards
work to be timely.
Significant improvements have
been made in recent years in terms
of image quality and the sector is
moving towards digital and networked
systems as technology progresses. The
section encourages debate on new
developments and concerns, such as
digital video evidence and facilitating
communication protocols between
different manufacturers’ products.
In doing so it seeks to ensure that all
stakeholder interests are represented
including: security companies, users, the
Police, inspectorates and insurers. The
section also works with Government on
these issues.
RESPECTING THE LAW
CCTV must be operated responsibly
in order to respect citizens’ rights and
maintain public confidence. Laws such as
the Data Protection Act have an important
role to play in achieving this. BSIA CCTV
companies drive best practice in this
area and can provide advice on how
CCTV users can adhere to the relevant
legislation.
IndigoVision provides greater
coverage at Royal Docks in London
The Royal Docks Management Agency is responsible for the
security of one of the largest enclosed docks in the world.
13 meters deep and 4km long, the docks cover an area the
size of central London, an entire acre of which is land.
This leisure water haven is
managed from a security base
in the King George V Control
Centre, which also provides
security for the surrounding
area, which encompasses
London City Airport and the
Excel Centre.
Providing surveillance for
this and complex site presents
a number of challenges, such
as wide geographic areas and
difficult light conditions. In
addition, the high level of public
traffic means that operators
have to quickly identify and
respond to specific incidents.
The previous security system
was failing to meet those
challenges, having poor
image detail and a difficult
user interface, which slowed
operator response time. The
high volumes of pedestrian
traffic across the Royal Victoria
footbridge during events and
the activities in the area now
known as the Royal Victoria
Beach meant that updating this
security system was vital.
Arran Henderson at DSSL
Group was asked to design
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a new system to meet these
increasing security needs.
Standard Definition (SD)
cameras have been replaced by
IndigoVision’s High Definition
(HD) BX cameras. The increased
resolution from the new HD
cameras mean more effective
digital zoom, allowing Royal
Docks to reduce the total
number of cameras by 15%.
The map-based user interface
of IndigoVision’s Control Center
softwareallows operators to see
exactly what is happening in
any area simple by clicking on
the onscreen map, improving
operator response time. Fast,
efficient video search means
specific clips of incidents can
now be found and exported in
seconds.
“The engineers have done
a fantast