Public sector security

Genetec Inc., global technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence has announced the new camera registry module for Genetec Clearance, a digital evidence management system that facilitates collaboration between public safety agencies, corporate security departments, businesses, and the public. Video evidence is an invaluable tool to help investigators review events and solve crimes. However, the process of retrieving recorded evidence from surveillance cameras deployed by cities and private businesses located nearby an incident is cumbersome and time-consuming. This can lead to delays in an investigation and increase the risk of evidence being missed. Genetec Clearance camera registry module The new camera registry module in Genetec Clearance simplifies the video request process and improves collaboration between businesses and public safety agencies. Organisations can share a registry of the cameras they’ve deployed —including surveillance cameras, body cameras, and on-board recorders from different manufacturers— to allow authorised users to rapidly identify cameras of interest and request video to assist in an investigation. The ability for administrators to customise request forms and their required approval workflow also ensures protocols are followed when releasing video to a requesting party. Once a request is approved, encrypted recordings can automatically be sent to an authorised investigation, while also maintaining the chain of evidence. Compatibility with varied video codecs The technology allows organisations to maximise the use of their staffing" Genetec Clearance supports a variety of video codecs, so recipients can easily review recordings from a web browser without having to download and install a separate video player. “The Genetec Clearance camera registry allows organisations to reduce the time to fulfill access requests and share video evidence between stakeholders operating across different systems, departments, and jurisdictions,” said Erick Ceresato, Genetec Product Manager. Fast access to video evidence Erick further said, “The technology allows organisations to maximise the use of their staffing and provides investigators faster access to evidence to help enhance their response, and focus on public safety within their communities.”

CentralSquare, which holds a market position in public safety software, announced that it has entered into a partnership with Genetec Inc., the global provider of video surveillance software and a provider of technology for unified security, public safety and operations. The partnership brings together CentralSquare’s broad and unified Public Safety Enterprise and Pro suites and flagship products from Genetec, including Genetec Citigraf™ and Genetec Clearance™. Combining these two leading technologies will enable public safety agencies across North America to smartly use existing public and private video cameras to reduce the number of victims of crimes and disasters while ensuring the safety of police officers and first responders. Gunshot detection systems There are more than 30 million cameras across the United States that generate 4 billion hours of footage a week. Unfortunately, the footage from these cameras and other sensors such as gunshot detection systems is captured by various systems and is often unavailable to first responders who can use that real-time data and video to save lives. With the increase in digital evidence captured by these systems, investigations are becoming increasingly complex Further, when a citizen calls 911, the dispatcher often has to rely on the caller’s description of the incident instead of quickly pulling-up the video feed from the nearest cameras and sensors. Additionally, with the increase in digital evidence captured by these systems, investigations are becoming increasingly complex and time-consuming. These disconnects prevent first responders from quickly assessing, understanding and safely responding to life-threatening emergencies. Integrated public safety suite CentralSquare provides an integrated public safety suite that manages everything from receiving a 911 call, dispatching responders, managing the records of the incident and providing tools for corrective actions. Genetec provides a powerful software backbone that not only allows cities to manage video surveillance for hundreds to thousands of cameras, but also provides the ability to gain strategic, data-driven insights pulled from a range of critical data sources. This partnership is a first in the public safety sector and marks a critical shift away from siloed and ineffective video surveillance towards a smarter future that unifies critical, lifesaving data into a single pane of glass. Real-time data As public safety concerns such as active-shooter incidents have increased by over 30 times since 2000, and natural disasters such as wildfires have destroyed more than 8 million acres in 2018 alone, the need for powerful tools to aid rapid and meaningful response is urgent. This new partnership between CentralSquare and Genetec delivers proven technology for police officers and emergency responders so that they can make effective decisions, based on real-time data, when and where it is most needed. When a citizen calls 911, dispatchers will be able to seamlessly see what is happening at the caller’s location" “As a result of this partnership, when a citizen calls 911, dispatchers will be able to seamlessly see what is happening at the caller’s location, ensure the right type of emergency response is dispatched, improve the situational awareness and safety of the responding officer, and have an integrated video record of the incident for future investigations,” said CentralSquare CEO Simon Angove. “We’re excited to see the benefits this partnership will bring to our 5,000-plus public safety partner agencies as they respond to emergencies much more efficiently and with real-time view into a situation.” Advanced data-driven policing software “Cities today rely on disparate, often disconnected, systems and information to make critical, life-saving decisions,” said Guy Chenard, Chief Commercial Officer of Genetec. “By working closely with a leader in public safety software like CentralSquare, we are able to bring the most advanced data-driven policing software and digital evidence management systems to an even broader array of customers. "Together, we are delivering a powerful solution that will better equip our country’s police officers and first responders and ultimately make our cities safer, smarter, and more livable.” Additional information about the partnership, including product demonstrations, is available at the annual IACP Conference in Chicago, October 26-29, CentralSquare booth 3018 and Genetec booth 5218.

At the end of September 2019, eleven professional application developer companies, primarily from Nordic countries, got together in Stockholm to demonstrate their creations for Airbus’s Tactilon Dabat device. This was the 5th edition of the Critical App Challenge, which has already taken place in Germany, Belgium, Hungary, and the Middle East and North Africa region in order to give local innovative companies from these regions the chance to demonstrate their solutions for public safety and mission-critical use. IoT, data analytics and artificial intelligence The innovative aspect, user experience on behalf of public-safety and mission critical professionals were key evaluation criteria This one-day event in the Swedish capital allowed the companies to present their applications to a jury of seven customers and Tactilon Dabat end-users from various industries and scopes of use. The innovative aspect, as well as the user experience on behalf of public-safety and mission critical professionals, were key evaluation criteria. In short, the participants had to take into account the use of IoT, data analytics, and artificial intelligence in order to propose unique ways to retrieve data, as well as the means of processing and exploiting that same data. “I am extremely satisfied with the outcome of this new Nordic-oriented edition,” explains Rahim Zaknoun, Head of Developer Ecosystem for Secure Land Communications at Airbus. “This concept is a unique way to show our customers that we are actively listening to their needs and are also proposing tailored applications and solutions which take into account technological advances, as well as current and future specific requirements, while finding means to optimise daily missions and tasks for all end users, regardless of which industry they work in. Whether it be in public safety, law enforcement, transport, utility and industry, and even healthcare, amongst others.” Zaknoun adds. 4K and data security The prize winners, selected as the best existing solutions suitable for the Tactilon Dabat presented state-of-the-art mission-critical solutions. The top three were: Mesensei with a decentralised platform for private social media communication and decentralised data ownership, Dottli, a communication solution which collects and shares data on each end-user by using sensors, and Ansur, a secure application which aims to reduce emergency response time for mission-critical interventions by proposing an option that handles visual situational awareness data by processing high-resolution – and even 4K – imagery. All companies have received invitations to participate in two large events in November: Rakel Day, a major Swedish customer event which will take place on the 12th of November, and Slush; the world’s leading start-up event in Finland, from the 21st to the 23rd of November, at the Airbus stand. This will give them a unique chance to demonstrate their apps to both Airbus and end-users alike. Airbus Tactilon Dabat hybrid terminal The Airbus Tactilon Dabat hybrid terminal offers both Tetra and LTE radio technologies in one single device The Airbus Tactilon Dabat hybrid terminal offers both Tetra and LTE radio technologies in one single device. Tactilon Agnet 800 is an app for smart devices such as the Tactilon Dabat. It makes it possible to use features such as push-to-talk, status notifications, text messaging, and emergency calls on the Tactilon Dabat. Group communication with other professional radio carriers or the control room is also possible. Indeed, end-users of Airbus’s Tactilon Dabat can already take advantage of an array of professional applications available in the Airbus SmarTWISP catalogue, which offer features such as biometric, licence plate recognition and geo-positioning. Tactilon Agnet solution In addition to the possibility of installing such applications on the device, Airbus’s very own Tactilon Agnet solution is also available on the device to allow users to share voice, data, image and video information with other individuals or a group of individuals in a secure and reliable way.

Steel fencing manufacturer Zaun Limited is increasing its efforts to educate security consultants, specifiers and architects in the latest technologies available to design into buildings, venues and public spaces to protect the public. In just four months, experts from Zaun will be delivering both Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Security Institute-approved Continual Professional Development (CPD) workshops from London to the North East to half a dozen different audiences, culminating in early December at the International Security Expo at Kensington Olympia. Independent testing and accreditation bodies The security industry requires greater conformity, rigour and collaboration Zaun director and co-founder Alastair Henman has long argued that the security industry requires greater conformity, rigour and collaboration among independent testing and accreditation bodies – and that any penetration tests accurately vet systems in real life scenarios. It favours the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) Red Book and its SR security ratings to LPS 1175, which many specifiers are rightly now insisting upon. But Zaun also gains product approvals with the likes of Secured by Design (SBD), the Perimeter Security Suppliers’ Association (PSSA), PAS 68 and IWA 14 and, of course, the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI). Designed for security professionals Henman says: “So we’re now intent on propagating this message to specifiers, designers, security consultants, architects and anyone involved in determining the security that will protect their staff, customers and the public for years to come.” Sessions are designed for security professionals who are determined to keep their learning going The sessions are designed for security professionals who are determined to keep their learning going throughout their careers and upgrading their knowledge with the latest thinking on security – and operate on the classic CPD points system. The topics fit under the general theme of protecting business or organisational assets using technology and span from perimeter protection and detection and information on the SR Security Ratings and SBD and CPNI standards. Hostile Vehicle Mitigation A growing area is education in Hostile Vehicle Mitigation measures in response to the alarming trend for terrorists to use the vehicle as a weapon to target unsuspecting and innocent members of the public. Two years ago, Zaun joined the RIBA CPD Providers Network, which consists of over 500 manufacturers and suppliers who provide RIBA-approved CPD to architects and other specifiers. RIBA-approved CPD material In an Architects Journal survey of the top 120 architectural practices, 84% said they use RIBA-approved CPD and 66% of respondents had attended a face-to-face seminar with a RIBA CPD Providers Network member. The network partners deliver free RIBA-assessed CPD face-to-face in architects’ practices or on factory tours, at RIBA CPD roadshows or online. Zaun must keep the seminar material up-to-date and advise RIBA when it changesCPD is mandatory for RIBA Chartered Architects, and having RIBA approved CPD material available as seminar presentations, articles, videos, factory tours and in other formats is a good way to open doors to start building key relationships. Double points to RIBA Chartered Architects Approved seminars are worth double points to RIBA Chartered Architects. Zaun must keep the seminar material up-to-date and advise RIBA when it changes any content to conform to current legislation, guidelines or user needs. The RIBA promotes the material on their website, through its assessed material list and via monthly CPD Showcase e-marketing campaigns.

National Security Inspectorate (NSI), the UK’s third party certification body for the security and fire safety sectors, was a proud sponsor of the 2019 Women in Security Awards which took place on 12 September, recognising the significant contribution and achievements of women within the wider world of security. Organised by Professional Security Magazine and Patron, Una Riley, almost 250 security professionals gathered aboard the Dixie Queen riverboat on the River Thames to celebrate and honour the 15 finalists. Una, the first woman to own an NSI approved electronic security company, founded the Awards to raise the profile of women working in what is, a traditionally male dominated sector. This prestigious black tie evening is now firmly established in the industry calendar, attracting sponsorship from thirteen industry organisations. NSI would like to congratulate all of the winners and finalists selected from over 200 nominations by the pre-eminent judging panel. This year representatives from NSI approved/assessed companies featured as finalists in three of the five award categories: Security Manager: Janet Owens, Intu Uxbridge Frontline: Sara Stephenson – Sodexo (Winner) Wendy Tomlinson – CIS Security Samantha Askew – Sodexo Technical: Carly Taylor – Sodexo Contribution to Industry: Amanda McCloskey – CIS Security (Winner) Auditors from guarding services Richard Jenkins NSI Chief Executive commented: “We were delighted to once again sponsor the Women in Security Awards, an event we have been closely involved with for a number of years. It was great to see so many members of the security industry gather to celebrate and honour the success of the Award winners and finalists who play such a vital role within our sector and communities. "This year NSI was pleased to support the event with a complement of attendees from our own team of women in security, including auditors from within guarding services and security systems. Our warmest congratulations to all of this year’s winners and finalists - we wish them continued success in their careers.”

Genetec Inc., a technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, announced that it will unveil new headquarters in the City of London, in the autumn of 2019. The announcement follows a period of accelerated growth for Genetec in the United Kingdom, with a significant and sustained increase in EMEA revenues over the last five years. Some of the company’s flagship customers in the UK include the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Twickenham Stadium and the University of Hull.  Paul Dodds, Country Manager, UK & Ireland, commented: “At a time when Brexit has seen many organisations reconsider their presence, Genetec is unequivocal about the role of the United Kingdom as a critically important part of the global economy. As such, we’re delighted to be opening a central London headquarters to better meet the needs of our channel partners, end users, and prospects.” Public safety applications We work with local partners to provide training, compelling educational experiences, and state-of-the-art support The new headquarters will incorporate an expanded state-of-the-art training facility, and a new ‘Genetec Experience Center’ housing innovative solutions from Genetec and its large ecosystem of technology partners. Furthermore, the office will house a dedicated research and development team focused on justice and public safety applications for law enforcement, emergency responders and local government. Michel Chalouhi, VP of Global Sales, added: “The new London headquarters will give us the perfect platform to continue to execute our UK strategy and sustain the excellent year-on-year growth that we’ve achieved globally over the past years. The security market is growing and changing rapidly. We are constantly facing new challenges, so we need to ensure we work with our local partners to provide up-to-date training, compelling educational experiences, and state-of-the-art support. Our base in London will help us do that, thanks to its fantastic location, facilities, and links.”

The industry faces numerous challenges in the coming year. Physical and cyber security threats continue to become more complex, and organisations are struggling to manage both physical and digital credentials as well as a rapidly growing number of connected endpoints in the Internet of Things (IoT). We are witnessing the collision of the enterprise with the IoT, and organisations now must establish trust and validate the identity of people as well as ‘things’ in an environment of increasingly stringent safety and data privacy regulations. Meanwhile, demand grows for smarter and more data-driven workplaces, a risk-based approach to threat protection, improved productivity and seamless, more convenient access to the enterprise and its physical and digital assets and services. Using smartphone apps to open doors Cloud technologies give people access through their mobile phones and other devices to many new, high-value experiencesEnterprise customers increasingly want to create trusted environments within which they can deliver valuable new user experiences. A major driver is growing demand for the ‘digital cohesion’ of being able to use smartphone apps to open doors, authenticate to enterprise data resources or access a building’s applications and services. Cloud technologies are a key piece of the solution. They give people access through their mobile phones and other devices to many new, high-value experiences. At the same time, they help fuel smarter, more data-driven workplace environments. With the arrival of today’s identity- and location-aware building systems that recognise people and use deep learning analytics to customise their office environment, the workplace is undergoing dramatic change. Improved fingerprint solutions Cloud-based platforms and application programming interfaces (APIs) will help bridge biometrics and access control in the enterprise, overcoming previous integration hurdles while providing a trusted platform that meets the concerns of accessibility and data protection in a connected environment. At the same time, the next generation of fingerprint solutions will deliver higher matching speed, better image capture quality and improved performance. The next generation of fingerprint solutions will deliver higher matching speed, better image capture quality and improved performance Liveness detection will ensure that captured data is from a living person. Biometrics authentication will also gain traction beyond access control in immigration and border control, law enforcement, military, defence and other public section use cases where higher security is needed. Flexible subscription models Access control solutions based on cloud platforms will also change how solutions are deployed. Siloed security and workplace optimisation solutions will be replaced with mobile apps that can be downloaded anywhere across a global ecosystem of millions of compatible and connected physical access control system endpoints. These connections will also facilitate new, more flexible subscription models for access control services. As an example, users will be able to more easily replenish mobile IDs if their smartphones are lost or must be replaced. Generating valuable insights with machine learning Machine learning analytics will be used to generate valuable insights from today’s access control solutionsEducation, finance, healthcare, enterprise, and other niche markets such as commercial real-estate and enterprises focussed on co-working spaces will benefit from a cloud-connected access control hardware foundation. There will be a faster path from design to deployment since developers will no longer have to create an entire vertically integrated solution. They will simply add an app experience to the existing access control infrastructure. New players will be drawn to the market resulting in a richer, more vibrant development community and accelerated innovation. Data analytics will be a rapidly growing area of interest. Machine learning analytics will be used to generate valuable insights from today’s access control solutions. Devices, access control systems, IoT applications, digital certificates and location services solutions, which are all connected to the cloud, will collectively deliver robust data with which to apply advanced analytics and risk-based intelligence. As organisations incorporate this type of analytics engine into their access control systems, they will improve security and personalise the user experience while driving better business decisions. 

Public spaces in cities and suburbs are important places for community development and promoting outdoor recreation. These areas may include main streets, parks, promenades, band shells and fields. Such locations are often utilised by public event planners for community activities, including summer festivals, wintertime ice skating rink installations, music concerts and art fairs. As the year drew to a close, holiday and Christmas markets as well as major New Year’s Eve events, presented cities with constant public event security needs. The public nature of these events increases risks of incidents with high-speed vehicles that put attendees in danger. Fortunately, there are three ways for public space managers to prevent casualty-causing collisions and further promote the use of local public areas. Developing an effective action plan    When strategising how to react to an alert, think about what time of the year and time of day the event is occurring It is important to have a plan developed before an incident or accident occurs. Warning systems, utilising doppler radar and digital loop technologies, alert guards to abnormal vehicle velocity changes in the surrounding area. Managers of public areas should organise a meeting with public safety authorities and local agencies to discuss what must immediately occur when a high-speed vehicle is approaching a public event. When strategising how to react to an alert, think about what time of the year and time of day the event is occurring. Having such a reaction plan in place combines technology and strategic planning to ensure everyone is on the same page to effectively target a threat and promote overall event safety. Securing public areas  Ideally, there will be no need to implement a well-conceived action plan. After all, taking preventive measures to secure public areas where events take place is important to keep people safe from accidental vehicle collisions and intentional attacks. Protect attendees by clearly separating pedestrian and vehicle locations using security devices such as – Barricades Portable barriers Bollards Install guard booths  Avoid the risk of vandalism and theft, making sure people are safe when walking back to the cars at night by keeping parking areas illuminated with flood lights. Install guard booths with employees who monitor activity in the parking area and who are prepared to react if an alert is triggered. Furthermore, prevent accidental collisions by clearly marking the parking area with informative warning signs and using barricades to direct traffic. These three tips can be used by public area managers to promote security at the next community event. Additionally, the technologies used to secure an event can also be used as infrastructure for year-round security. Installing gates that shut when the public space is closed or using aesthetically pleasing bollards are steps any public area manager can take to promote community safety.

According to the reports of not-for-profit organisation Gun Violence Archive, the year 2018 has seen 323 mass shooting incidents as of November 28 in the United States. This number is 346 for the year 2017 and 382 for 2016 (more statistics are available here), with “mass shooting” defined as cases where four or more people are shot or killed in the same time period and location. While definitions of mass shooting vary with organisations in the US, the count of over 300 incidents per year, or about once per day on average, is simply alarming. It raises public safety concerns, ignites debates and protests, which in turn lead to public unrest and potentially more violence, and increases costs for governments from the regional to federal level. Most importantly, the loss of lives demands not only improvement in post-incident handling and investigation, but also new prevention technologies. Gunshot detection solutions AI weapon detection offers a more efficient alternative to prevent active shooting There are several gunshot detection solutions in the security market, commonly used by law enforcement agencies to detect and locate gun fires. These systems function based on acoustic recordings and analyses and often in combination with signals detected by sensors of the optical flash and shockwave when a gun is fired. However, gunshot detection by nature dictates that the law enforcement can only react to a shooting incident that has occurred. With fast action, law enforcement can prevent the incident from escalating, but lives that are lost cannot be recovered. With the development of artificial intelligence in object recognition, AI weapon detection offers a more efficient alternative to prevent active shooting: AI can visually detect guns based on their shapes before they are fired. The AI is trained to recognise firearms in different shapes, sizes, colours, and at different angles in videos, so that the AI weapon detector can be deployed with existing cameras systems, analyse the video feeds, and instantly notify security staff when a gun is spotted. Comparison of the advantages for law enforcement and public security agencies Legacy gunshot detection using sensors AI weapon detection Reactive measure: detect after guns have been fired Proactive measure: detect before guns are fired Time to action: within 1 second Time to action: within 1 second Unable to provide visual data about shooter(s) Can provide data about shooter(s) based on the camera recording: clothing, luggage (backpack, handbag, etc.), facial features, vehicle Unable to track the location of the shooter(s) before and after shooting because of the lack of sound Can track the shooter(s) using AI Person & Vehicle Tracking, AI Face Recognition, and AI License Plate Recognition False detection caused by similar sound such as fireworks and cars backfiring Minimal to no false detection, as AI can distinguish different types of handguns and rifles from normal objects (umbrella, cellphone, etc.) Require physical deployment of gunshot detection sensors Can be used with existing camera systems, do not require special hardware Complicated to deploy, require highly trained professional Easy to deploy as an add-on to existing video surveillance system - Can integrate with gun-shot detection to create a “double knock” audio and video active shooter alert system Gun-shot detection advantages In addition to advantages for law enforcement and public security agencies, this type of visual-based pre-incident detector has three-fold advantages for the public: Save lives by spotting the shooter before the shooting event. Minimise the chaos entailing an incident: panic and chaos caused by a shooting incident often adds to injury, as people run, fall, trample on others… With an AI weapon detector, when a gun is spotted, the system sends an alert to security staff, who can quickly control the situation in an organised manner and apprehend the intending shooter. Can be added as a SaaS (Security as a Service) component to small business and home surveillance systems, e.g., intrusion detection alerts (home invasion incidents with firearms number over 2500 per year nationwide). For a complete active shooter detection system, video-based AI detector can operate in conjunction with gunshot detectors for enhanced security. Traditional X-ray based weapon detection or metal detection entrance systems are complicated and expensive; with AI video technology, active shooter detection system can be cost-effective, and after all, what price tag can one put on a life? Written by Paul Sun and Mai Truong, IronYun

Many venues are using access control, video surveillance systems, sensors, and additional hardware solutions as part of a broader security strategy. By utilising so many disparate systems, corporate security teams are left with information “silos” that create inefficiencies and hamper communication. This abundance of hardware has left teams with too much data or too many tools, to manage effectively. Armored Things offers a software solution. The company’s “spatial intelligence platform” currently collects more data than other security intelligence solutions, utilising a broader range of sources and fusing data together rather than integrating it. The platform currently focuses on taking in data from WiFi, access control, and video surveillance systems and applying machine learning to deliver customers features such as real-time predictive analytics to prevent incidents like bottlenecks or overcrowding. Spatial Intelligence is an approach to physical security that enables users to collect, manage, and interpret data in a single platform. Combine machine learning with data The term can best be used to describe how digital transformation has affected physical security. Spatial Intelligence in its infancy looked like video surveillance data combined with machine learning to produce video analytics. The spatial intelligence solutions of today can combine machine learning with data of any source, type, and size to deliver value across a large organisation, not just the security team, says the company. Armored Things’ Spatial Intelligence platform unifies data from information silos to support data-driven decisions around operations and security. By fusing data from multiple sources, we can produce more consistent and useful insights for our customers” A suite of analytics, reporting and visualisation tools helps customers gain a real-time understanding of people and flow in their space. By removing the guesswork of everyday decisions, the product enables customers to make data-driven decisions at a moment’s notice, according to the company. Armored Things is more than a data management tool. “By fusing data from multiple sources (rather than only cameras or only WiFi), we can produce more consistent, accurate, and useful insights for our customers,” says Kevin Davis, Chief Security Officer at Armored Things. "Being able to collect the data is the first step, but turning it into actionable intelligence is where Armored Things excels.” IP cameras and other IoT-enabled devices The range of data sources includes IP cameras and other IoT-enabled devices and even outside data sources like bus schedules and weather reports. Armored Things has built a team of public safety and technical experts with the mission to keep people safe where they live, work, and play. By leveraging emerging technology to enhance physical security, the company built the software-centric Spatial Intelligence Platform for large organisations to enhance the safety and operations of their space. Schools and education facilities are among the customers that can benefit. The leadership at Armored Things cares deeply about school safety, so the recent epidemic of campus violence has definitely been a large topic of conversation, according to the company. “By delivering our products to a greater number of customers, Armored Things hopes to continue making schools a safe place to learn and gather,” says Davis. Recently, there was a significant bottleneck lasting nearly 30 minutes at the Syracuse-Clemson football game. Unifying data into one platform Digital transformation is disrupting the way our customers think about physical security,” Using Armored Things technology and providing real-time data to security and operations personnel could have identified the bottleneck as it began to form. This would have notified relevant personnel, who could have taken steps to mitigate the problem before it turned into a security risk. Keeping the security infrastructure simple is imperative to success. Integrating a software solution into the security strategy shouldn’t complicate existing operations, says the company. “Armored Things Spatial Intelligence Platform can bring your security and operations into focus by unifying all of your data into one platform for ease of use,” says Davis. For this reason, the team chose to integrate not only with customers’ existing security infrastructure but with non-traditional data sources (e.g. WiFi, event schedules, ticketing) as well. “By combining and analysing a more diverse dataset, Armored Things can help our customers make better decisions with deeper data-driven insights,” says Davis. "Digital transformation is disrupting the way our customers think about physical security,” says Davis. “As a team, our aim is to help our customers adapt to the digital age, as they transition from hardware to software-centric security solutions. Fostering organisational change is difficult, and our team hopes to make the transition process easier for our customers.”

During the Parkland, Florida, school shooting in 2018, the shooter was caught on a security camera pulling his rifle out of a duffle bag in the staircase 15 seconds before discharging the first round. However, the School Resource Officer didn’t enter the building because he wasn’t confident about the situation, and the Coral Springs Police Department had no idea what the shooter even looked like until 7 minutes and 30 seconds after the first round was fired. If the video system had included technology to recognise the gun threat in real time, alerts could have been sent to the security team. An announcement could have been made right away for all students and faculty in Building 12 to barricade their doors, and law enforcement could have responded a lot faster to a real-time feed of timely and accurate information. Automatically recognising gun threats The technology is centred around a CNN that aims to replicate how a human brain would process informationActuate offers such a technology, which the company says enables existing security cameras to automatically recognise gun threats and notify security in real-time. The technology is centred around a convolutional neural network (CNN) that aims to replicate how a human brain would process information. This neural network is trained to recognise what hands holding a firearm look like from hundreds of thousands of images in a proprietary data set. Over time, the system is able to mathematically calculate what a gun threat in a security camera feed looks like with a high degree of accuracy (well over 99% detection accuracy within the first 5 seconds), according to Actuate. “Active shooter situations are often marred by chaos and confusion,” says Sonny Tai, Chief Executive Officer of Actuate. “People are in fight-or-flight response and prioritise immediate survival instead of reaching for their phones and calling 911. When the 911 calls are made, callers often provide delayed, conflicting, and inaccurate information, inhibiting law enforcement’s ability to respond.” Enhances law enforcement response Tai says Actuate helps to clear up that chaos and confusion. “It provides visual intelligence of the location of the shooter, what they look like, what direction they’re heading, and what they’re armed with,” he says. “This real-time information enhances law enforcement response and enables building occupants to make critical decisions that maximise survivability." AI methods including deep learning enable high levels of accuracy in detecting weapons in real-time camera footage Tai is a Marine Corps veteran and a social entrepreneur who co-founded Actuate with the mission of addressing America’s gun violence epidemic. The start of the company stems from Tai’s upbringing in South Africa, where gun violence rates are some of the highest in the world. Growing up, several of his family friends were personally impacted, resulting in a lifelong passion for the issue of gun violence. In early 2018, Tai interviewed dozens of law enforcement leaders across the country and found that their biggest challenge in gun violence response was the lack of timely and accurate information. Actuate mitigates that challenge and enables both first responders and security staff to respond more rapidly, he says. More than 99% accuracy in detecting weapons Actuate is a software-only solution that plugs into security camera hardware and software, including VMSActuate's solution is completely AI-based, says Ben Ziomek, Chief Product Officer. AI methods including deep learning enable high levels of accuracy in detecting weapons in real-time camera footage. “Legacy, non-AI based solutions generally rely on older methods like motion detection, which is not reliable in differentiating between objects such as phones and firearms,” says Ziomek. “Our AI solution lets us achieve more than 99% accuracy in detecting weapons with an exceptionally low false-positive rate.” Ziomek runs engineering, data science, and operations for Actuate. Before joining the firm, he led teams of AI engineers and data scientists at Microsoft, leveraging AI to identify high-potential startups globally. Actuate is a software-only solution that plugs into existing security camera hardware and software, including video management systems (VMS). Existing capabilities of a customer’s VMS does initial, basic analysis and then routes the remaining video to Actuate’s processing units for AI analysis. Alerts can then be sent back however a customer wants, including through a VMS. Actuate can also feed information into a PSIM or command-and-control system if requested by a customer. Equipping customers with AI tools Our current focus for the company is to get our technology into the hands of as many customers as possible"As an early-stage company, Actuate is pursuing customers through multiple routes, including directly to end-users and via security integrators, distributors, and dealers. They are currently deployed at diverse customer sites including schools, office buildings, industrial facilities, and public buildings, says Ziomek. “Our current focus for the company is to get our technology into the hands of as many customers as possible,” says Ziomek. “We are working closely with customers across segments and industries to equip them with the tools they need to make their spaces safer. We’re currently working on educating the market on our offerings, as this technology is very new to many security organisations.” There are no privacy or compliance concerns because Actuate stores no customer data until a weapon is detected, and even then the data is not cross-indexed with any sensitive information, says Ziomek.

According to the reports of not-for-profit organisation Gun Violence Archive, the year 2018 saw 323 mass shooting incidents as of November. This number is 346 for the year 2017 and 382 for 2016, with ‘mass shooting’ defined as cases where four or more people are shot or killed in the same time period and location. A variety of gunfire detection solutions and other technology approaches seek to address the problem. ShotSpotter SiteSecure and ShotSpotter SecureCampus provide critical outdoor infrastructure protection against active shooter attacks. SiteSecure delivers critical information such as the number of shots fired, a detailed map of the airport or transportation facility, with the shooting location clearly identified. SiteSecure also provides law enforcement and transportation facility management with real-time information that can be useful to identify and address false alarms and reduce mass panic. Gunfire detection and precise shooter location Designed for college campuses and K-12 schools, ShotSpotter SecureCampus provides gunfire detectionShotSpotter SecureCampus is a gunfire detection system designed to provide outdoor coverage at university and school campuses. Designed for college campuses and K-12 schools, SST SecureCampus provides gunfire detection, precise location, and number of shooters to first responders and school personnel, enabling faster response to an incident. Data capture form to appear here! Gunshot detection can offer tremendous benefits in mitigating active shooting incidents occurring in a public facility or commercial environment. Data shows that active shooter attacks often begin outside a building and then progress indoors. Thus, the first line of defence for security professionals lies outside a facility, in a zone of protection surrounding it or comprising the entire outdoor area of a larger facility of many buildings. Audio solutions for perimeter security Video cameras are effective surveillance tools in the event of a shooting incident, but they are not able to capture everything. Deploying audio solutions can automatically flag incidents not caught on camera, as well as alert central station guards of what surveillance zones need to be closely monitored. Audio analytics solutions for aggression and gunshot detection are some of the best security tools in the security market when it comes to detection, intervention and deterrence. They are the next generation of monitoring; equipping security teams with critical information and enhancing perimeter security. End users can identify high-risk situations in real-time and prevent acts of physical aggression before they happen Aggression detectors are capable of accurately recognising duress in a person’s voice. The software automatically and objectively detects the presence of rising human aggression, anger or fear, and subsequently warns staff by a visual alert or alarm trigger. As a result, end users can identify high-risk situations in real-time and prevent acts of physical aggression before they happen. Artificial intelligence to detect weapons A gunshot detector recognises firearm discharge from various firearms in different settings. Within seconds of a gunshot, the software accurately classifies and triggers an immediate notification through a designated VMS. Security staff can then verify the alert, effectively reducing the reaction time of first responders. With the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in object recognition, AI weapons detection offers an efficient alternative to gunshot detection to prevent active shooting: AI can visually detect guns based on their shapes before they are fired. The AI is trained to recognise firearms in different shapes, sizes, colours, and at different angles in videos, so that the AI weapon detector can be deployed with existing camera systems, analyse the video feeds, and instantly notify security staff when a gun is spotted. Audio analytics, processed inside a video camera, are another approach that can quickly pinpoint zones that security staff should focus on, which can dramatically shorten response times to incidents. Audio-derived data also provides a secondary layer of verification that an event is taking place which can help prioritise responses from police and emergency personnel. Detecting audio levels and alerting operators Operators can be notified of abnormal situations via event signals allowing the operator to take suitable measuresThe first job of a well-configured camera or camera/mic pair is to detect sounds of interest while rejecting ancillary sounds and noise below a preset threshold. Each camera must be custom-configured for its particular environment to detect audio levels which exceed a user-defined level. Since audio levels are typically greater in abnormal situations, any audio levels exceeding the baseline set levels are detected as being a potential security event. Operators can be notified of any abnormal situations via event signals allowing the operator to take suitable measures. Finding a baseline of background noise and setting an appropriate threshold level is the first step. Well configured audio analytics can deliver critical information about a security event, accelerating response times and providing timely details beyond video-only surveillance. Analytics take privacy concerns out of the equation and allow installers and end users to use camera audio responsibly. Hanwha Techwin's audio source classification technology, available in its X Series cameras, features three customisable settings for category, noise cancellation and detection level for optimum performance in a variety of installation environments.

Genetec Inc., globally renowned technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence has announced that the city of New Orleans (NOLA) is relying on Security Center, the company’s unified IP security platform, to improve public safety and enhance city-wide collaboration. With about 400,000 residents, New Orleans (NOLA) is the most populous city in the State of Louisiana. Like other big cities, NOLA is focused on enhancing public safety for its citizens and the 1.2 million visitors who flock to the city’s French Quarter for Mardi Gras celebrations. Using Security Center, the NOHSEP agency has saved police officers about 2000 hrs of investigative work in just a year Genetec Security Center As part of a Citywide Public Safety Improvement Plan that included the deployment of a new citywide public safety system and the construction of a Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC), the New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) chose the Genetec Security Center unified platform to support all city agencies.  Using Security Center, the NOHSEP agency has saved police officers about 2000 hours of on-foot investigative work in just one year. “It might take a police officer over an hour to visit business locations, speak with owners, look through video, find what they are looking for, get a copy of video onto USB keys, drive back to the precinct, and then submit that into evidence." said George Barlow Brown, IT Manager at the New Orleans Real Time Crime Center. Video and ALPR cameras He adds, “So, we have essentially saved the department over 2000 hours of manual labor in physically collecting and storing video evidence. That’s more time for officers to respond to calls of service and be present in our many neighborhoods, which helps build community confidence. The ROI is there for us in terms of the efficiency,” The team can now easily retrieve evidence from over 325 city-owned video cameras and 100 automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras (60 of which are Security Center AutoVu cameras)  from the Real-Time Crime Center. The new security platform is integrated with other public safety solutions such as a Briefcam analytics system and a computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) system. All this information gets routed through to a central command center, speeding up emergency response. Share video access with RTCC  “Our operators do the full investigative work right from within Security Center. It’s just one of the most intuitive solutions that I have ever seen. We can display up to six video tiles and hit ‘synchronise video’ to see various angles of the same scene playing at the same time. We can then select the segment of video we need and hit export. Each 10-minute segment from all the video tiles is then archived for viewing later on,” said Brown. NOLA is also leveraging Security Center to foster a true public-private partnership. The city launched a platinum version of the SafeCam project, which allows businesses to share access to external video cameras with the RTCC. Motion-detection alarms Using the Genetec Federation feature, the NOHSEP team can access video from participating companies’ systems Using the Genetec Federation feature, the NOHSEP team can access video from participating companies’ systems. Participating businesses can be identified by discrete signage at their front entrances. This tells on-the-ground officers that this business has shared their outdoor cameras with the RTCC, and there is no reason to disturb the establishment or their customers. The officer can simply call RTCC operators to get the evidence they need. Brown and his team also have motion-detection alarms set up on cameras facing some known illegal dumping sites. As soon as someone dumps refuge in these locations, the team can proactively notify the Sanitation Department so they can collect the debris. Mining video and data NOLA is making the most of its security investments to improve city life too. For one, the RTCC operates a backup emergency operations center for the city of New Orleans. The NOHSEP team has also shared video feeds with other city departments such as the Sewage and Water Board, so they can determine the rate at which an intersection floods. As plans continue to evolve, the RTCC team is taking full advantage of the new technology to keep NOLA safer. “As far as investigations and the ability to mine video and data, Security Center is hands-down the best product out there. With this platform, we’re extending greater efficiency to responding officers, and we’re also forging stronger partnerships with our community. Together, we’re all working smarter and faster to keep New Orleans safe,” concluded Brown.

Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) manages more than 26,000 properties on behalf of Newcastle City Council. They are piloting an innovative fire detection system in partnership with OpenView Security Solutions, the UK’s largest privately-owned independent security company and a national supplier of fire, electrical and mechanical services to the public and private housing sector. MOBOTIX thermal imaging cameras have been installed in 3 multi-storey blocks across the city to continually monitor temperatures in the buildings’ bin chute rooms. The thermal cameras will send an alarm to OpenView’s central control centre and the fire service immediately if an unexpected heat pattern is detected. The early detection system provided by the OpenView now means that residents can be reassured of much faster response times from the fire service in the event of an incident, minimising the potential impact on occupants and their properties, so that they and their homes are far safer as a result. Risks and Challenges Ensuring safety of residents through early detection and prevention of potential fires To be able to react quickly to verify a fire situation Alerting the fire service within seconds of a potential fire so they can respond rapidly Keeping residents safe and minimising damage to property in the event of a fire The risk to lives and property caused by rapid spread of a fire in high-density apartment blocks Solution provided by MOBOTIX and OpenView MOBOTIX M16 thermal cameras installed in bin chute rooms of 3 YHN multi-storey blocks Thermal technology continuously monitors temperature, triggering an alarm if an unexpected heat pattern is detected Operators in OpenView’s central control room assess and monitor the situation Fire service instantly alerted ready for rapid response MOBOTIX cameras integrated into existing infrastructure with no disruption to residents Potential risk to lives and property minimised through early fire detection Installation of thermal imaging cameras YHN has installed thermal imaging cameras in 3 of its 45 multi-storey blocks across the cityYour Homes Newcastle (YHN) manages community and public housing on behalf of Newcastle City Council. Set up in 2004, the organisation oversees more than 26,000 properties for the council. With fire safety in tower blocks having been in the spotlight since the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017, YHN took the decision to pilot an innovative fire detection system. In a trial partnership with OpenView Security Solutions, the UK’s largest privately-owned independent security company and a national supplier of fire, electrical and mechanical services to the public and private housing sectors, YHN has installed thermal imaging cameras in 3 of its 45 multi-storey blocks across the city. “The tragic events at Grenfell Tower have undoubtedly put fire safety in multi-storey blocks under a microscope, but we have been trialling new measures in our multi-storey properties for some time,” says David Langhorne, YHN’s Assets and Development Director. ONVIF compliant thermal cameras OpenView Security designed and installed an early fire detection system using MOBOTIX dual M16 thermal cameras, featuring one thermal and one optical sensor. MOBOTIX thermal sensors measure minute differences in mid-wavelength infrared radiation emitted from an object or body based on its temperature, allowing them to pick up temperature differences of 0.05 of a degree within a temperature range of -40 to +550 degrees Celsius. The ONVIF compliant MOBOTIX cameras contain a powerful CPU that can deliver up to 3 video streams simultaneously The ONVIF compliant MOBOTIX cameras contain a powerful CPU that can deliver up to 3 video streams simultaneously and fulfil the H.264/ONVIF standard, making it easy to combine them with other systems to create unique solutions to real-world problems. By integrating the cameras into YHN’s existing infrastructure, which uses OpenView installed equipment, it was possible to implement the new system without any disruption to residents. Alerts central control room in case of fire Operators are able to monitor images from the thermal lens to pinpoint the exact location of hotspotsThe MOBOTIX M16 cameras were installed in bin chute rooms, where they continually monitor the temperature, sending an alert to the OpenView’s central control room instantly if an unexpected heat pattern is detected. Operators are then able to monitor images from the thermal lens to pinpoint the exact location of hotspots, such as smouldering fires, as well verify the situation via a live feed from the optical lens. An alarm is also raised with the fire service within seconds of a potential fire, making them ready to respond rapidly to a potential emergency situation. According to Andy Ward, Sales Director of OpenView Security Solutions, the innovative fire protection solution enables housing providers to ensure a safer environment for residents and minimise the incidence of false alarms: “It now forms part of our expanding portfolio of fire and life safety solutions, which is one of the fastest growing areas of our business, and consolidates our leading position in the public and private housing sectors.” Faster response times from fire service The early detection system provided by the OpenView now means that residents can be reassured of much faster response times from the fire service in the event of an incident, minimising the potential impact on occupants and their properties, ensuring that they and their homes are far safer as a result. We have wet and dry risers, central alarm systems, smoke alarm activated bin chute fire dampers and bin room sprinklers"“This trial system is one of many fire safety measures currently in place in the blocks we manage across the city. We also have wet and dry risers, central alarm systems, smoke alarm activated bin chute fire dampers and bin room sprinklers,” Langhorne explains. “We pride ourselves on being innovative, so it was an easy decision for us to test something that had not yet been adopted elsewhere,” he adds. Meeting requirements of integrator and end-users Frank Graham, MOBOTIX Regional Sales Manager UK & Benelux, said of the partnership with YHN and OpenView: “We are very happy to be working so closely with both YHN and OpenView in the development and provision of an innovative solution for such a serious issue. “MOBOTIX cameras have inbuilt intelligence to meet all the requirements of integrator and end-users alike and we look forward to a longstanding and fruitful partnership with both organisations moving forward.”

BIRD Aerosystems, globally renowned developer of Airborne Missile Protection Systems (AMPS) and Special Mission Aircraft Solutions (ASIO), has received an order for additional AMPS systems from the UN Air Operations. Airborne Missile Protection Systems Under the contract, BIRD will provide its AMPS-MV solution, which includes the MACS sensor, and install it on the UN Mi-17 helicopters, that are operating in the most dangerous and complicated areas in Africa. The UN is already using BIRD's AMPS systems, and this is a follow-on order that will allow the UN to install the systems on additional helicopters. AMPS missile protection system provides enhanced protection for military and civilian aircraft against MANPADS BIRD's AMPS missile protection system provides the most enhanced protection for military and civilian aircraft against the growing threat of ground to air missiles (MANPADS). Directional Infrared Countermeasures The system is designed to automatically detect, verify, and foil SAM attacks through the effective use of countermeasure decoys (Flares and Chaff) and by Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) that jam the missile's IR seeker and protects the aircraft. The AMPS-MV includes BIRD Aerosystems' patented Missile Approach Confirmation Sensor (MACS) sensor, which performs unique confirmation of suspected incoming missile threats detected by the main electro-optical passive sensors, and practically eliminates any false alarms. MACS ensures that only real missiles will be declared by the system and reacted upon. Missile Approach Confirmation Sensor Ronen Factor, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Founder at Bird Aerosystems, "The UN Air Operations teams are operating in the most dangerous areas and conflict zones in Africa, and therefore have to make sure that their helicopters are safe and protected against the constantly growing threat of MANPADS. As caring for its soldiers is a primary goal for the UN, we are honored that once again, they choose to do so using BIRD's AMPS-MV, the most advanced and cost-effective solution that is available today."

Upon hearing Pablo Picasso’s famous praise of art’s ability to clear ‘the dust of everyday life’, one’s thoughts could easily turn to one of Arizona’s newest landmarks, the Mesa Arts Center. Set proudly amidst the dust of the Sonoran Desert, the Mesa Arts Center is a striking complex of buildings, art installations, and public throughways, offering a rich blend of visual impressions in glass, water, stone, and metal, with splashes of vibrant colour and metallic reflection. At more than 21,000 sq. feet, the award-winning $95 million campus is the largest and most comprehensive performing, visual and educational arts complex in Arizona, serving as a gathering point for the citizens of Mesa and region alike, seeking to enjoy the indoor and outdoor spaces, public events, classes, and art exhibitions. Ensuring safe, family friendly environment Ensuring a safe, family friendly environment is essential to fulfilling the role the Center plays as a gathering pointThe presence of an adjacent light rail station and hosting of multiple festivals throughout the year further increase traffic to, from, and through the open planned site at various hours of the day, and on weekends and even holidays. The heart of the Mesa Arts Center complex is a grand promenade that knits together all of its pieces, while providing places for group gatherings, performances, and quiet reflection, comfort and relaxation. Ensuring a safe, family friendly environment is essential to fulfilling the role the Center plays as a gathering point for all walks of life. In addition to welcoming visitors to the Center, the open configuration of the complex invites commuters coming off the nearby light rail line to stroll through on their way to and from the station, and draw loiterers, would-be vandals, and itinerant populations (attracted to the semi-secluded spaces created by outdoor art installations and the complex’s fountains and water elements). Surveillance system for crime prevention Particularly outside of traditional hours of operation, such factors can increase the risk of nuisance crimes, vandalism, and petty theft, and potentially more serious crimes against visitors and staff, without a vigilant and comprehensive security and surveillance operation. Additionally, complex spaces, varied materials, and water elements increase risk for incident and accident without proper prevention and/or prompt response. A technical solution with proven power, performance, and reliability was paramount to ensure protection of property While customary approaches to similar venues have typically relied heavily on a combination of CCTV and human security guards, the size and complexity of the Mesa Arts Center campus makes a traditional manned guarding solution, even when supported by a typical surveillance technology, both cost prohibitive and potentially inadequate. Protection of property and campus safety The Mesa Arts Center is an architectural showpiece and regional destination, requiring comprehensive surveillance at all hours, every day of the year, under highly variable conditions. A comprehensive technical solution with proven power, performance, and reliability was paramount to ensure protection of property and the safety of everyone on campus. The City of Mesa, who operates the Center, in partnership with Scottsdale’s Surveillance Acquisition Response Center (SARC) and IDIS technology, provided a mix of surveillance cameras and network video recorders (NVRs) able to meet the varied requirements of a campus housing multiple art galleries, studios, performance spaces, walkways and cut-throughs, and outdoor gathering spaces; and support SARC’s innovative approach to virtual guarding, which incorporates military, police, and intelligence best practices and personnel to enhance traditional remote monitoring models and outcomes. Using Direct IP NVRs and cameras SARC monitors use IDIS’s powerful, modular, and feature-rich VMS, IDIS Solution SuiteThe City of Mesa’s previous successes implementing SARC and IDIS technology at the Mesa Grande Cultural Park made the integration of technology and monitoring selected for the Mesa Arts Center a natural fit. Featuring multiple IDIS DirectIP [model number] network video recorders (NVRs), and IDIS Direct IP [model number] cameras, with [feature set], at the heart of a comprehensive security posture, SARC monitors use IDIS’s powerful, modular, and feature-rich VMS, IDIS Solution Suite, and their unique military, law enforcement, and intelligence-derived protocols and best practices to support on-site personnel and cover the campus comprehensively at night and during other off-hours. Additionally, the IDIS solution also seamlessly integrates with, recording and managing footage from other camera installations, demonstrating the IDIS dedication to eliminating the common frustrations and complexities of security systems. SARC’s virtual guard protection The implementation of SARC’s virtual guard protection and protocols to support on-site personnel, and the highly visible, but seamlessly integrated, presence of IDIS surveillance cameras, as part of a total IDIS solution, have contributed to the Mesa Arts Center’s reputation as one of the region’s most welcoming and inviting community spaces among the area’s art lovers, families, and neighbourhood’s workers (who regularly use the space without fear or discomfort as a gathering place for lunch or pathway to and from the local light rail station). The integrated on-site and virtual guarding professionals identify, deter, and document threats to the campus 24/7, the integrated on-site and virtual guarding professionals identify, deter, and document threats to the campus and those within it, using innovative surveillance application bringing together IDIS’s highest quality remote viewing and VMS offerings and SARC’s remote ‘voice down’ virtual guarding protocol, which informs those under surveillance, in real time, that they are being watched and should leave the property immediately or face consequences. Keeping people and property safe The successful implementation of this solution has placed the City of Mesa and Mesa Arts Center management at the forefront of innovation in keeping the people, places, and property under their protection safe and secure, and marked them as leaders in responsible stewardship of taxpayer, grant, and donor dollars, through the implementation of a system that provides more comprehensive coverage, measurably better outcomes, and enhanced visitor experiences 24/7, year-round for a fraction of the cost of previous manned guarding solutions.

Based in Muscat, Oman, the Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) owns and operates the main electricity transmission network, transferring electricity from generating stations to distribution load centres in all governorates of the Sultanate of Oman. Asset and public protection Protecting the company’s assets while ensuring the safety of the public is central to ensuring business continuity for OETC and reliable distribution of electricity to over 4.6 million people. With 90 grid stations in remote locations, identifying and responding to unauthorised intrusions in a timely way was challenging. OETC required a robust perimeter security system to deter intruders, manage risk, and protect the public “It can take up to an hour to reach some of our sites after an alarm is triggered. By then it’s too late, the intruder is gone,” says ESC Gulf Project Lead. Members of the public were also entering the sites to have picnics, unwittingly risking injury or even death. After a fatality when someone interfered with an electricity transformer, it was clear the OETC required a robust perimeter security system to deter intruders, manage risk, and protect the public from harm. Monitored pulse fencing solution The Gallagher solution OETC work in partnership with an established local consultant ESC Gulf who provide a wide range of services including design, tender evaluation and project implementation support. During tender submission stages, security contractors Majees Technical Services and Mustafa Sultan Enterprises, proposed a Gallagher Security monitored pulse fencing solution to protect OETC’s remote sites. Upon contract award the certified contractors installed the system, while Gallagher provided support and oversight of the installation and commissioning works. Using Gallagher’s effective and reliable fencing solution, perimeter breach attempts are deterred by an energised pulse, delivering a short but safe shock. The monitored wires detect unauthorised entry or exit and trigger instant alerts. Gallagher Z20 Disturbance Sensor Gallagher Z20 Disturbance Sensor heightens perimeter security by ensuring continuous monitoring and motion detection The Gallagher Z20 Disturbance Sensor in use at the gate heightens perimeter security by ensuring continuous monitoring and detection of vibration or movement of the gate when it is closed, and the system is in an armed state. Gallagher delivers robust perimeter security systems suited to the most rigorous requirements of high security sites. The ability of Gallagher technology to easily integrate with CCTV cameras, automated lighting and a remote monitoring system, further ensures a safe and secure environment. A world class solution, Gallagher perimeter products are designed to comply with international safety and electromagnetic compatibility standards. These standards set out the safety requirements for the design, installation, and operation of pulse fencing and associated equipment. Gallagher perimeter control solutions Saving money while keeping people safe Gallagher perimeter control solutions are now under construction or completed at 70 of the remote grid station sites – including over 25 kilometres of monitored pulse fencing. Unauthorised entry to these sites has been reduced to zero. OETC now has peace of mind that assets at its remote sites are protected, while being secure from unauthorised access – ultimately keeping people safe from harm. Gallagher’s accurate and responsive security monitoring systems have also resulted in significant cost savings and business efficiencies for OETC. “OETC were employing up to six guards on each grid station at a significant cost,” says ESC Gulf Project Lead. “With a fully monitored solution, the number of guards has been reduced and they have been redeployed on other tasks”. Gallagher security solutions are successfully supporting OETC’s mission to transmit and dispatch electricity safely, reliably, securely and economically. ESC’s Gulf Project Lead concludes “Gallagher provides a great amount of support to all stakeholders and both OETC and ESC Gulf are very pleased with the outcome of this project.”

Westminster City Council is standardising on Videalert’s hosted CCTV enforcement platform. The decision was taken after conducting a twelve-month pilot comparison exercise between Videalert, the market-leading supplier of unattended CCTV enforcement solutions, and the incumbent provider. Marston Holdings group companies Videalert and NSL were selected to deliver this solution after completing a comprehensive analysis across a wide range of enforcement activities including yellow box junctions, banned turns and restricted access. Videalert CCTV enforcement platform “The decision to extend the Videalert platform was taken after a number of successful deployments across the West End with high volume traffic and complex moving traffic scenarios. Videalert delivered the highest capture rates enabling us to meet our compliance objectives, a significantly higher level of performance compared with the previous manually-operated system, as well as providing the highest availability,” commented Darren Montague, Business Implementation Manager in Westminster City Council’s Parking Services team. Videalert is now the single platform standard for all CCTV enforcement throughout Westminster “The platform also delivers better value as future-proofing is built-in and additional camera assets and enforcement applications can be cost effectively added as required." Videalert is now the single platform standard for all CCTV enforcement throughout Westminster. The latest Videalert ONVIF-compliant digital HD cameras are now used at these locations to capture high quality images which minimise discard-rates, increase productivity and help reduce the number of appeals. The cameras are also playing a key role in helping to deliver Westminster City Council’s joint strategy with TfL, which aims to improve public spaces by reducing traffic congestion and tackling poor air quality. The council hopes to extend the use of the Videalert platform to additional locations including the Oxford Street West scheme and a number of traffic exclusion zones around schools in Westminster. Traffic and parking management According to Mark Hoskin, Managing Director of NSL: “We are delighted to have been awarded this high profile contract as it shows how Videalert and NSL can jointly deliver complete solutions that streamline every aspect of the traffic and parking management process from enforcement and PCN processing through to collections. This unique, integrated approach not only removes the risk element when working with outside contractors, but also enables councils to increase efficiency and maximise compliance in short timeframes.” “The joint Videalert and NSL service proposition demonstrates how close collaboration between the public and private sector can deliver better outcomes. Improving traffic flows will help to reduce congestion and the corresponding air pollution whilst increasing road safety for the millions of people that visit the Westminster area,” added Tim Daniels, Sales and Marketing Director at Videalert. “It also shows how councils can extend enforcement to further improve compliance without incurring major additional capital expenditure.”

When security topics become a part of current events, it is usually in a negative light. Security generally only becomes news when it fails, sometimes in a dramatic, high profile and tragic way. However, security failures can also shed light on lessons learned and opportunities to improve. Working toward better security can translate into the purchase of more goods and equipment supplied by our market. For additional insights into the intersection of security and current events, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Good news or bad news? How do news reports and/or current events influence the general public’s opinion of physical security?

The concept of how security systems can contribute to the broader business goals of a company is not new. It seems we have been talking about benefits of security systems beyond “just” security for more than a decade. Given the expanding role of technologies in the market, including video and access control, at what point is the term “security” too restrictive to accurately describe what our industry does? We asked the Expert Panel Roundtable for their responses to this premise: Is the description “security technology” too narrow given the broader application possibilities of today’s systems? Why?

Video cameras are everywhere, and hundreds more are installed every day. Our society appears to be reaching a point of perpetual surveillance. It certainly feels as if we are always being watched even though it is not yet the case. But as cameras are becoming more common than ever, we are also entering a new era of privacy concerns and sensitivities, as evidenced by GDPR and other such initiatives. We presented this quandary to this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Surveillance cameras can go anywhere, right? Where is it “not OK?”