Pembrokeshire-based security installer Powersafe has selected proven technology from Bosch Security Systems, the UK's leading provider of high-quality security solutions, to protect St Davids School from acts of vandalism.
St Davids, the smallest city in the UK, is traditionally a very quiet, crime free city. As such the small secondary school had not felt the need for CCTV protection, yet a serious act of vandalism forced the school to think again.
Tony Edwards, Managing Director of Powersafe, explains: "This incident came as a complete shock to the local community, and although the perpetrators were eventually caught, the process would have been much simpler had there been CCTV. Keen to ensure that such an incident couldn't happen again, the school looked to install a security system.
"St Davids is the jewel in Pembrokeshire County Council's crown. As the area is of great cultural and historical significance, the Director of Education wanted to make sure the school got the very best in protection. Powersafe was already looking at Bosch products for other applications, and thought this project would be a good platform, matching the requirement for quality products. The local Chevron oil refinery donated money towards the project, and Powersafe donated the digital recorder.
"We installed a total of 29 cameras at strategic points around the school, ensuring that no one can pass through the premises unnoticed. The surveillance system comprises one Bosch Autodome camera from the 500 series, together with a combination of IP Flexidome and analogue, Dinion XF high-resolution day/night cameras, internally and externally. As these cameras are so high-tech, the School had to upgrade its IT network, using Gigabit Cisco switches to maximise the system.
"The images are transmitted over IP to a Bosch DiBosdigital video recorder and transmission system and monitored by the school's control suite. The images can also be monitored remotely over the county network, and in time Pembrokeshire County Council is planning to get a centrally controlled monitoring suite. A feasibility study has recently been carried out for a CCTV monitoring facility to be located at County Hall Haverfordwest; if successful it would bring the monitoring of all Pembrokeshire County Councils School CCTV syitalics?stems into one location.
"As this system was a part of our existing IP Infrastructure, it enabled us to monitor CCTV images from any of our workstations which had been assigned the access privilege" |
"Since the technology is of such high quality it allows us to save time on installation. The products just plug and play, we just do some fine-tuning to ensure that the school is getting the very best from the cameras. The system is arranged so that the Autodome camera detects motion, and then using the motion settings on static cameras to activate alarms, prioritising preset positions, like the main entrance gate or reception. In addition to the quality of the products, we receive the very best technical support from Bosch at all times.
"The images are extremely high resolution, with pictures recorded for 31 days at 25 frames per second at 4CIF on the 4TB network storage units, ensuring that the pictures are easily recognisable. Everyday the cameras are proving their worth, providing information on student activity, verifying traffic movements such as deliveries, and providing a record of visitors on School property and visiting reception. As a result, Powersafe has recently received an order for two more cameras, and the system is a showpiece for Pembrokeshire Schools."
Operating through strategically located offices, Powersafe undertakes the design, supply, installation and maintenance of systems and equipment for retail, commercial, industrial and Government premises, including the installation of all Pembrokeshire's town centre camera systems. Powersafe also specialises in extreme and hazardous areas, such as ports, marinas, oil refineries and petrol storage compounds.
"We have been highly impressed by the Bosch products used on this application, and are now installing them on further projects," Tony concludes.
"The images are extremely high resolution, ensuring that the pictures are easily recognisable" |
Dean Philpin, Premises & ICT Manager at the school added: "We spent a great deal of time deciding on suitable CCTV solution to meet our requirements. Once we saw the a quality of images viewed from the Bosch Cameras, the simplicity of the Bosch DiBos Digital Recorder and the features its software offered, made it a ideal choice. As this system was a part of our existing IP Infrastructure, it enabled us to monitor CCTV images from any of our workstations which had been assigned the access privilege.
"Tony and his team from Powersafe worked closely with other contractors, to extremely tight timescales, to complete the project on time, meeting their usual high standard of installation. Any support questions we have had, have always been acknowledged straight away, with a fast response."
