Notes from Norstrom

Northamptonshire is the model for joined-up work on business crime, the launch event for the county-wide business crime reduction partnership heard. Introducing Northamptonshire Action Against Business Crime was Sir David O’Dowd, the former Northants chief constable who agreed to be patron of NAABC.  Sir David pointed to the December issue of Professional Security regarding the latest British Retail Consortium crime survey.  He described NAABC as the next evolutionary step in th...

What might police modernisation mean for private security companies and consultancies?  Alan Beckley, director, Baddiley Associates, offers some pointers. Greater inclusion in the ‘extended family of policing’ Need to form new relationships based on new police structure Need to understand new boundaries and new responsibilities Vigilance to spot new opportunities and police tasks, roles and responsibilities that fall off the list of police priorities Vig...

Show caution when making choices in CCTV, advise the authors of the latest good practice guide from The Security Institute (TSI). Gordon Tyerman, the former Surrey Police CCTV manager, now a trainer, chaired the working party behind the guide to acquiring, deployment and use of CCTV.  Introducing the 82-page paperback - cost £25, free to TSI members - Gordon Tyerman said:  “There are hundreds of choices within the CCTV world and many people willing to help and advise you;...

The recent UK launching of the ADI Expo - by ADI International, the Honeywell-owned distributor of security products - was an occasion to talk to Mike Reddington, UK MD, to ask where the distributor is and where it is going. Briefly, something about Mike Reddington: qualified as an electronics engineer, he progressed in field sales, becoming UK sales manager at Racal Guardall.  He then joined Gardiner Technology as business development manager, and became sales director; and sales and mark...

The planning and thinking for the 2012 Olympics is well under way - but there are plenty of big events to secure first, the International Sports Security Summit (ISSS) heard in London recently.  Mark Rowe reports. Day one saw Olympics speakers to the fore - Peter Ryan, the British former senior police officer who as chief of New South Wales police was in charge of security at the 2000 summer games; and Met Chief Insp Andrew Amery, head of security for London 2012.  Police were al...

The Celtic Manor Resort in South Wales was the host course to the recent All*Star Cup celebrity golf championship. It's to host the Ryder Cup in 2010. The resort is thought to be the single largest private investment ever in the British hospitality industry.  Visual surveillance is a key management tool.  Security was to the fore during the All Star Cup over the August 2005 Bank Holiday weekend, when stars of sport and show business competed in a USA versus Europe Matchplay tournament...

Procurement is a way to cut out IT security flaws, the annual SANS top 20 vulnerabilities launch heard in London.   The event made the front page of the Financial Times on the day of the launch at the Department for Trade and Industry, this shows that business takes IT security seriously.  In the FT, SANS director of research Alan Paller warned that it is easy for hackers to steal information from back-up systems. "Rarely does back-up software have encryption.  Whereas M...

Honeywell today announced the appointment of Andrew Bull as UK sales director for Honeywell Video Systems (part of Honeywell Systems Group).  Based at the Runcorn office, Andrew is responsible for UK video product sales, working closely with dealers, consultants, specifiers and end users.  He heads up a six person sales team and reports to Joe Janick, sales director, Honeywell Systems Group EMEA.Andrew joined Honeywell as part of the Novar acquisition last year, where he was business d...

The venue for a recent business crime conference was an example of good practice, the event heard.   Bob Golding, Warwickshire Police Assistant Chief Constable and ACPO lead on business crime, was among speakers at the Belfry golf club.  Welcoming the audience to Warwickshire, ACC Golding said he hoped that their cars would not be broken into.  Such crime at the club near Birmingham - thieves breaking into cars to take laptops, on view on back seats - is no longer a hot-spot...

As the great and good of the Security and BMS markets converged on Stoneleigh Park last week (Jan 24 – 26) one thing was clear – IP is here to stay.More than 100 Exhibiting, supporting companies and organisations gathered to demonstrate their wears to thousands of knowledge hungry visitors who had travelled from across the globe to acquaint themselves with the latest in cutting edge security technology."at the IIPSEC show this year, innovation was definitely the theme and a clea...

In today's ever more litigious society, some less than reputable individuals seem to take the view that this is a license for them to make fraudulent personal injury claims. However what many fail to appreciate is that more and more businesses have some sort of CCTV system in place to record such incidents, allowing concrete evidence to be presented which can see unscrupulous claims thrown out of court. One of the most blatant examples, I have heard of, concerned two women, a mother and daughter...

ACTi's SED-2100R and Milestone's XProtect Software successfully help Puopolo Smallgoods, the meat processing factory, to convert their surveillance system from analogue to IP. Puopolo Smallgoods is a meat-processing factory in Victoria, Australia.  The main purposes for Puopolo Smallgoods to initially setup the analogue surveillance system were to record the production process, prevent the accidents, and to strengthen the security. However, as time goes by, Puopolo Smallgoods has now e...

Action Against Business Crime partnership conference Crime against business is an ongoing battle for all affected – retailers, police, and local authority community safety managers alike.  Businesses are working in partnership to tackle and manage crime more effectively – but they can’t do it alone.  So say the organisers of the AABC conference, on February 22 at the Hilton Metropole at the NEC Birmingham. The event begins after an introduction by chairman for th...

HBoS has just completed upgrading their security at their sites in Halifax and Chester with help from Fastlane from Integrated Design Limited.  Following the merger of Halifax and Bank of Scotland in 2001, HBoS is the UK’s largest mortgage and savings provider. The management at HBoS wanted to create a secure workplace by limiting access to the building to authorised staff and visitors. As such an access control system and turnstiles were required. Due to the nature of the building t...

Royal Prince Albert Hospital has come a long way it since it opened as a 146-bed hospital and received its first patients in 1882.  Over 100 years later, it specialises in cardiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, oncology, respiratory medicine, neurology, as well as liver and kidney transplants.  The 3,000 users need a robust access control solution that they can rely on in life-and-death situations. There are 70 Intelligent 4 Door Access Modules, and many 1 and 2 Door Access Modules co...

Ports of Auckland takes security very seriously, particularly in the face of heightened international security risk."With a Gallagher PowerFence™ system installed, Ports of Auckland security measures exceed the Maritime Safety Authority's expectations."Ports of AucklandA new era of heightened port security is upon us.  Ports all around the world are implementing tighter security measures to safeguard trade and tourism, port staff, port users and local communities from terror...

Many financial institutions today still use time-lapse VCRs or first-generation DVRs for lobby, teller line and ATM surveillance and monitoring. Inconsistent recording, questionable reliability, limited  remote access, VCR and videotape management, and time-consuming searches are just some of the issues faced when trying to use this video evidence for important functions like dispute resolution and security investigations.  When it comes to securing people, property, and assets, f...

There hasn't been one instance of attempted break-in at Ricardo since the installation of the PowerFence™ system in 1998. The Gallagher PowerFence™ system has worked for Ricardo Consulting Engineers.  In Sabine's words, "It's absolutely brilliant". For over 80 years the Ricardo Group has been a world authority in the research, design, and development of automotive power train and vehicle systems.  Today, their expertise covers gasoline, diesel and gaseous-fuelled engine...

The Challenge The company provides specialist aviation services to regional airlines, business and commercial aviation companies, including fuelling, ground handling, maintenance and fuel purchasing.  The operation manages in excess of 13,000 air traffic movements annually - comprehensive and reliable security is therefore a major requirement. Martin Gould of system installers CAMS Fire & Security PLC explains: "The new aviation hangar has allowed the flight support operator to meet i...

“The Port of Galveston relies on Verint’s Networked Video Solution to enable security personnel to monitor unauthorised movement, security breaches and sea traffic 24 hours a day, even in low light.” -- Steve Cernak, Port Director, Port of Galveston. Steve Cernak knows that, in many ways, his port is an open door, welcoming industry and visitors into the U.S. But in today’s climate of heightened awareness, Cernak and directors of ports on coasts throughout the world are...

Welcome to the very first edition of what I hope will be a regular fortnightly column, giving me the opportunity to offer my own unique perspective on the key security issues of the day across the globe. To start things off I want to give you a flavour of what you can expect in the weeks and months ahead from ‘Words of Wiseberg’. The security sector has to be one of the most innovative and fast moving areas in which to do business and I believe that this column should reflect the ind...

Continental Airlines, the 5th largest airline in the United States, manages thousands of take-offs and landings every day of the year.  The company’s headquarters is located in Houston with hub airports in that city as well as in Newark and Cleveland.  Aside from labor costs, an airline’s biggest expense is fuel.  In recent months, as fuel costs have skyrocketed, the efficient scheduling and management of every aircraft has taken on increased importance because of th...

Gallaudet University is the world’s only university offering exemplary educational programs to deaf and hard of hearing students at all learning levels.  Their programs span from serving infants and their parents and continue through middle and high school.  Bachelor degrees are offered and undergraduate students also have the option of designing their own majors through a self-directed study program.  Additionally, graduate programs and doctoral degrees are offered in a var...

The Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is a comprehensive research base with its main efforts focused on high energy physics, R&D of advanced accelerator technologies, advanced synchrotron radiation technologies and applications.  Taking advantage of the multi-disciplinary research, IHEP carries out the development of new technologies and high tech products with sophisticated science and technologies like radio frequency, UHV, microwave, preci...

City of Los Angeles public offices and employees are located in hundreds of buildings throughout the city including the Civic Center Complex -- which is comprised of Historic City Hall, City Hall East, City Hall South and the Los Angeles Mall -- as well as many other facilities across the greater Los Angeles area.  The city’s General Services Department (GSD) manages these facilities, equipment, supplies, security, communication,   maintenance and other support services for...

Murcia University in southeast Spain, founded in 1915, is the tenth-oldest university in the country. And while history and tradition are important characteristics that define the institution, the latest technology systems are required to support the approximately 30,000 students enrolled each year.  One such system is the fleet of buses that transports students around the university and between its two campuses. Challenge Murcia University’s bus fleet is owned and operated by Autocar...

School buses are the safest vehicles on the road – 70 times safer than cars, light trucks and vans. Yet an average of 33 school-aged children are killed each year in bus-related accidents in the United States; the majority of those deaths occur in the “danger zone,” the 10-foot area surrounding the bus, because of passing motorists who disregard a bus’ stop arm. Spencer Community School District, located in northwestern Iowa and serving more than 2,400 students, is one of...

The Challenge The Georgian Town Palace located in the heart of the City of London plays host to ceremonial banquets and international dignitaries visiting the capital.  As a high profile venue, its security facilities need to be of the highest standard.  Therefore, the managing authority for Mansion House - the Corporation of London - specified three Digital Sprite digital multiplex recorders.  Installers, Classic Security Solutions has implemented the upgrade, along with the inst...

The ChallengeA major university campus in London has invested in a significant overhaul of its security, centred around digital multiplexing technology from Dedicated Micros.  The university has seven city centre sites spread over almost three miles.  A growth in drug related crime in the nearby Kings Cross area prompted the university to reconsider its security arrangements in conjunction with IDS, specialists in digital CCTV technology.  The Solution IDS considered a number of p...

The ChallengeThe University of Oxford Security Services department has invested in a major overhaul of its CCTV system and upgraded to a networked digital system controlled by Dedicated Micros multiplexers.Four BX2 multiplexers support 60 cameras, which have been upgraded to digital to keep a watchful eye on the University estate that includes some of Britain's most valued historic buildings and museums such as the Radcliffe Camera, Sheldonian Theatre and the Bodleian Library.Demands on the anal...