Security education

Global MSC Security has announced the keynote speakers for the Global MSC Security Conference and Exhibition 2018. The Surveillance Camera Commissioner will be joined by representatives from the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), Avon and Somerset Police, Dacorum Borough Council, Soter Protective Services and a criminologist from the University of Essex, to discuss ‘GDPR, Surveillance and Security’. Managing Director of Global MSC Security, Derek Maltby says: “The GDPR has been EU law since 25th May 2018, but there is still much confusion and misinformation regarding what the new data protection regulation means for the surveillance and wider security sector. We are bringing together the experts for a one-day conference in the hope of providing clarification as to the best way forward, in order to safeguard people and assets whilst adhering to the law.” Security & surveillance experts The 20th annual Global MSC Security Conference and Exhibition, now in its 14th year takes place on Tuesday 13th November at the Bristol Hotel, Bristol. Confirmed keynote speakers include: Tony Porter MSyl is the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, whose role is to encourage compliance with the surveillance camera code of practice. Anne Russell is Senior Policy Officer at the ICO and will discuss GDPR in the context of the security and surveillance sector. Peter Spindler MSyI is Director of Soter Protective Services and he will draw on the learning from Operation Yewtree to provide insight into the role security professionals can play in safeguarding the vulnerable and how GDRP is applied. Sgt Chris Green from Avon and Somerset Police will be talking about reducing harm in the community by maximising the benefits of CCTV, and how covert methods and body worn video cameras are having a dramatic effect on the policing of complex problems.  Jim Guiton is the Community Control Room Manager at Dacorum Borough Council and will explain how he ensures the council complies with GDPR in relation to its 350-strong surveillance camera network. Prof. Pete Fussey is a Criminologist from the University of Essex specialising in surveillance and society. The Global MSC Security Conference & Exhibition is free-to-attend for all delegates and they will receive double CPD points from the Security Institute for attending the conference programme.

Tavcom Training, a subsidiary of Linx International Group, is celebrating the first anniversary of its Certified Technical Security Professionals (CTSP) Register, which aims to raise standards in the security and fire industry. In the last 12 months more than 500 engineers, contractors and vendors have applied to have their competence officially recognised. The Register has been endorsed by the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB) and Dubai’s Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA). Assisting security professionals David Wilkinson CTSP, Director of Technical Services at BSIA, states: “We are proud to support the CTSP Register to promote the technical competency and professionalism our security personnel have to offer. Such recognition is important in ensuring the fire and security industry can demonstrate its proposition as an attractive career path to what is a highly technical and diverse industry sector.” A new Vocational Application Pathway has been created in collaboration with SSAIB Since its launch, the CTSP Register has continued to evolve to assist security professionals and those who depend on their capabilities, including employers, end-user organisations and households. In June, it was announced that auditors and consultants who fulfil technical roles in electronic security and fire systems would be eligible to apply. In addition, a new Vocational Application Pathway has been created in collaboration with SSAIB that enables engineers and consultants with relevant security systems experience but without recognised industry qualifications to apply.  Recognising qualified professionals “There is a real appetite across the security and fire sectors to raise standards,” states CTSP Registrar Kevin Matthew. “The CTSP Register is being seen as a way for professionals with the right qualifications and experience to be recognised for their dedication to technical best practice, and hopefully that translates into winning more business.” All CTSP applications are assessed by the Registration Manager, and successful applicants appear on the publicly searchable Register. The application process takes place online and costs £25, with a £50 annual fee payable on acceptance.

Door and window hardware professionals can now nominate their projects for the internationally recognised biennial GAI/RIBA Architectural Ironmongery Specification Awards. Organised by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the awards are designed to identify and reward excellence in the specification of architectural ironmongery. Architectural ironmongery advisers Projects can be nominated for the following categories: residential; commercial and hospitality buildings; public health and education buildings Projects can be nominated for the following categories: residential; commercial and hospitality buildings; public health and education buildings; international projects outside the UK and Ireland and, new to the 2018/19 awards, best new product: design and innovation. Architects, specifiers, building contractors, clients and their architectural ironmongery advisers and suppliers across the world can nominate projects from now until Friday 16 November 2018. The winners will be announced at a celebratory lunch in March 2019.  The Specification Awards ceremony David Stacey, president of the GAI, says: “The Specification Awards ceremony is one of the Guild’s most highly anticipated events. The calibre of entries is always incredibly high and shows architectural ironmongery at its best. The GAI is always proud to see its member companies involved in so many complex projects.” “These awards are unique because they reward the whole specification team, highlighting the importance of the professional partnership between architects and architectural ironmongers.”

Following the recent combination of UBM and Informa, IFSEC and FIREX are pleased to announce a dynamic and strategic new alliance with MEFSEC- the Middle East Fire & Security Exhibition which takes place at the Egypt international Exhibition Center. Fire safety & security   This partnership represents a new opportunity for IFSEC and FIREX exhibitors to present their expertise and world class products to specifiers and purchasers from Egypt and its surrounding regions which is seeing significant levels of growth and investment in security and fire safety technologies. The Middle East security market is forecast to be worth £10.2bn by 2020 with the fire protection sector being valued at £4.2bn in the same period, so targeted opportunities to meet with these customers will be welcomed by all manufacturers targeting the region. MEFSEC has a long standing and proven reputation in Egypt for delivering a high calibre audience of over 2,000 specifiers and purchasers from civil defence, utilities, distribution, consultancies, installation, IT and construction which represents a definitive audience of major specifiers from the region. IFSEC’s partnerships with BSIA and FIA will also mean that a UK Security and Fire Pavilion will be available at MEFSExclusive partnership with BSIA & FIA IFSEC’s exclusive partnerships with the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and the Fire Industry Association (FIA) will also mean that a UK Security and Fire Pavilion will be available at MEFSEC in partnership with the Department for International Trade.  IFSEC and FIREX Brand Director Gerry Dunphy states: ‘’We’re excited to be working alongside MEFSEC this year as it represents an instant gain from the recent combination of Informa and UBM. This is precisely the type of project we’ll see increasingly more of as the two organisations merge together as it provides IFSEC and FIREX exhibitors with access to an established event which caters for the Middle Eastern market.’’  UK Security and Fire Pavilion MEFSEC Exhibition Manager Ed Johnson states: ‘’MEFSEC welcomes this new partnership with IFSEC and FIREX which have long been considered to be leading global events in the security and fire safety sectors. MEFSEC receives a formidable audience of major purchasers from Egypt and the surrounding regions which will provide IFSEC and FIREX exhibitors with new avenues of business and opportunities in what is a rapidly growing market sector’’. BSIA Senior Business Executive John MacAskill states: ‘’Our partners at IFSEC have widespread experience of unlocking business potential for UK companies in growing markets and we welcome this new and exciting partnership with MEFSEC in Cairo. We look forward to welcoming members to the UK Security & Fire pavilion where they can make strategically important contact with major specifiers and purchasers’’.

With the inaugural edition of The Security Event less than nine months from now in April 2019, preparations are now stepping up another gear. To ensure the success of the exhibition, Western Business Exhibitions has put together a formidable team to develop and promote the show to exhibitors and visitors alike. With decades of knowledge and experience between them, the team behind The Security Event are poised to deliver a truly world-class exhibition. Fire safety & security As one of the its founders, Tristan Norman has utilised his seven years of industry knowledge built as Head of Business Development on UBM’s Fire and Security portfolios to create ‘The Security Event’. As Event Director and Founding Partner, Tristan ultimately oversees the event and helps shape its direction along with input from the industry.  It’s fantastic that we have been able to bring onboard such an excellent, knowledgeable and industry-recognised team to help execute the event" Tristan commented, “The opportunity to create a brand-new event designed by the industry for the industry doesn’t happen very often. The Security Event has been able to do just that and since its launch, the feedback and overwhelming support has been amazing. I look forward to working with all our founding partners, exhibitors and associations towards creating the best and most sustainable platform to do business in the UK. Finally, it’s fantastic that we have been able to bring onboard such an excellent, knowledgeable and industry-recognised team to help execute the event – I am confident that our combined experience will ensure ‘The Security Event’ is a brilliant success.”  Key figure of IFSEC / FIREX Joining the team in September, Peter Poole will play a key role as an event consultant, developing the show’s proposition and strategy as well as working with partners and exhibitors to ensure a successful return to the industry’s home at the NEC Birmingham. Peter has spent thirteen years in the security industry as a key figure of IFSEC / FIREX - helping businesses connect, promote and develop their international growth through exposure and new revenue opportunities. Peter commented, “Having met with WBE, I was extremely impressed with their vision of ‘The Security Event’ and the overwhelming support the industry has shown. I very much look forward to helping launch the inaugural event.” Expert global security event coordinator Kristan has 10 years’ experience delivering events in the security sector. From 2005 he played a major role in the growth of a global security event portfolio, where he was responsible for developing the international business at the flagship UK event. As International Event Manager, he led successful launches of events in India, South Africa, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Istanbul. Over that time, he has built a wealth of experience within the sector and retains strong relationships within the industry. After taking a sabbatical in Africa in 2015, he has worked with a range of clients, contributing to award-winning launches and events. There is an ideal opportunity for a security exhibition to serve the UK market at the NEC" Kristan commented, “There is an ideal opportunity for a security exhibition to serve the UK market at the NEC and I’m pleased to reunite with former peers to deliver a comprehensive content programme for UK security professionals, delivered by key industry bodies, technology leaders and industry experts”. Integrated multichannel marketing strategy Sarah will be leading the marketing activities for The Security Event, driving visitor registration leading up to and at the event through an integrated, multichannel marketing strategy. Having previously worked with a range of security manufacturers including several of the event’s Founding Partners, she brings a unique perspective to the team. Sarah commented, “We are all proud of the event that we’re building here and I’m keen to communicate the value it will deliver across the UK security industry. This event will provide an ideal platform for exhibitors and visitors to come together and my goal is to make sure our audience sees The Security Event as a must-visit.”

When an active assailant strikes, it’s over fast, and most of the damage happens before help arrives. Responding appropriately can save lives, and it takes training and practice to know what to do as a tragedy unfolds: Where can I hide? Can I get out? Where do I run? If you hear shots or see someone with a knife, your training empowers the best response, and thorough and repetitive training avoids being paralysed by panic. Standards on workplace violence ASIS International is a member of ANSI and an accredited standards developer ASIS International has been working for more than a year on a document to enable security professionals to develop an effective approach for prevention, intervention, response and recovery to an active assailant, whether he or she is acting alone or as part of a group. The Active Assailant Supplement is an annex to the ANSI Standard on Workplace Violence and Intervention; it is being developed as part of the current revision to the standard. ASIS International is a member of ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and an accredited standards developer. Security practitioners use the ANSI standard to develop their own processes, procedures and documentation related to workplace violence. The ANSI standard on workplace violence was created 10 years ago and already has been revised once. In that time, the standard has been quoted extensively and adopted and utilised by many corporations and security practitioners. Leading creation of the Active Assailant Supplement is Michael Crane, Security Consultant and Attorney at Securisks, and chair of the ASIS International Active Assailant Working Group. There are 17 individuals on the drafting committee on active assailants, each with their own specific areas of expertise, from big corporations, to psychologists, to the government. The committee will create a draft, which will be submitted to the technical committee (150 or so people) for review and comment. The ANSI standard on workplace violence has been quoted extensively and adopted and utilised by many corporations and security practitioners Active Assailant Supplement elements Prevention - A key to preventing active assailant incidents is awareness, such as identifying behaviours that suggest a potential for violence. In addition to recognising troubled behaviors, companies should have policies and procedures in place to report concerns to supervisors, and then policies to follow up. Intervention - Training equips companies to react effectively in the case of an active assailant attack. Repetition and practice ensure an appropriate reaction, and inform decisions about where to hide, the nearest exits, etc. Employees might hide in a washroom or a conference room that locks, or they might use furniture to block the door. Response - It also takes training for employees to understand what happens when first responders arrive. Private security and employees have specific roles when first responders show up. Recovery - After the incident, other issues include clean-up, providing a gathering place for employees and family members, and counselling. Addressing school violence The workplace violence prevention plans in the Federal government are right in sync with private industry"Crane was an assistant state’s attorney in Chicago before going into private practice. He has also served as general counsel and vice president for security companies and combines law and security expertise to protect companies from liability. Crane has written and provided training on the topic of workplace violence prevention for many years for ASIS International and was among the first members of the Standards and Guidelines Commission in 2000. Although school violence is not addressed specifically in the Active Assailant Supplement, the protocols covered in the document apply to schools as well as other sites such as governments. “The workplace violence prevention plans in the Federal government are right in sync with private industry,” says Crane. “They are almost identical.” Workplace violence at GSX 2018 Workplace violence, including active assailants, will be among the issues addressed at the upcoming GSX 2018 in Las Vegas. Global Security Exchange (GSX) is the new branding for ASIS International’s annual conference and trade show, attended by more than 22,000 security professionals from 100-plus countries. There will be sessions addressing workplace violence and interest group discussions on a range of topics.

Opengear, a provider of solutions that deliver secure, resilient network access and automation to critical IT infrastructure, today announced CSC – IT Center for Science Ltd, a Finnish center of expertise in Information and Communications Technology, has deployed Opengear Smart out-of-band appliances to streamline a major upgrade project and improve day-to-day remote management. CSC, a non-profit organisation with 70% ownership by the state of Finland and 30% controlled by Finnish higher education institutions provides services for research, education, culture, public administration and enterprises, to help them thrive and benefit society at large.  CSC's primary customers are the Ministry of Education and Culture and organisations within its field of operations, higher education and research institutes and public administration sector. Planned network upgrade As Antti Ristimaki, Senior Network Specialist for CSC explains, "Getting from our data centres to some of the sites we look after might take many hours and so having remote out-of-band access is vital for us." CSC has used a legacy out-of-band (OOB) console server solution for several years, but with a major network upgrade planned for 2018-2020 it was decided that more flexibility was needed to help the small networking team support clients at around 40 sites spread across the country. "What we liked most about Opengear was its small footprint and high-quality software along with the 4G mobile connectivity option which provides us with the option to deploy the OOB console server at site before we have any working in-band access," says Ristimaki. Setting up the devices took very little time and we are now remotely managing the process" Remotely configure networking equipment CSC has already deployed Opengear ACM7004-5-LMR - Resilience Gateway appliances at around 10 locations across the country, which were initially used to help remotely configure networking equipment at sites connecting to its newly upgraded backbone network. Having a remote access server at distant locations makes it easier to reliably commission and configure new network equipment from its main offices at Espoo and Kajaani. At the final stage, there will be around 40 Opengear Resilience Gateway appliances across the country. "Setting up the devices took very little time and we are now remotely managing the process - which has proved surprisingly simple using 4G LTE and even 3G connections," Ristimaki adds.  Built-in CLI tools The built-in CLI tools provided by the Opengear software have proven to be useful especially when commissioning the console server itself. Through this accessibility, CSC has integrated the management of its Opengear Smart OOB devices into its own internally developed network management and orchestration platform based on Ansible. CSC is also using Opengear to help record, and in the event of any problems, rollback critical firmware upgrades and configuration changes for core networking elements at remote sites.

Siemens Rail Automation is a supplier of signalling systems to the rail industry worldwide. The signalling system is fundamental to the safety of a rail network as it maintains safe separation and prevents collisions. Signallers rely on the safety critical signalling features to ensure safe operation in both normal and degraded conditions. Thorough initial training and regular refresher courses in a realistic environment is essential to maintaining the signallers’ competency and knowledge of operating procedures. Siemens collaborated with Matrox to implement a unique, IP-based simulation environment for their European-rail-network client with an innovative use of streaming and recording of multiple video feeds. Simulator for signal monitoring A simulator allows a trainer to vary scenarios—by changing the weather, introducing obstacles on the line, incidents in stations, broken-down trains, or other things that affect the scheduling of movement of rolling stock. Additional screens from other collaborative applications, such as timetabling, are displayed for the trainee The trainer needs to monitor a trainee’s reaction(s) to a particular scenario, as it transpires. To be able to view the entire session later, for analysing, and pinpointing areas of improvement, each individual trainee’s performance needs to be recorded as well. The trainee operator’s signalling desk contains multiple monitors for the signalling application that shows, amongst other things, the state of the signals, dynamic speed limits, state of points on the track, and train positions. Additional screens from other collaborative applications, such as timetabling, are also displayed for the trainee. Trainers too have multiple screens where they define and manage the training scenario. Networked training ecosystem Siemens Rail Automation met their client’s need by leveraging Matrox’s video wall and enterprise encoding portfolio as building blocks to create an end-to-end, IP-based simulation system—all on the client’s 1 Gigabit Ethernet network. At the individual trainee stations, ‘operator’ workstations host a Matrox multi-display graphics card to power an eight-monitor, 4x2 desktop configuration. In the same PC system are two Matrox Maevex 6100 quad 4K enterprise encoder cards. Capable of simultaneously capturing, streaming, and recording up to four 4K inputs, Maevex 6100 in this case captures quad Full HD inputs, composites them as a single 4K signal, and streams them to a collaborative video wall. Doing so ensures that the time correlation between the individual screens is not lost—a cursor moving across a desktop from screen to screen is seen as it happens. One of the training objectives is to support the team working between the signallers and planners Monitoring trainee cursor movements This is important for the trainer to get a realistic picture. A jerky or delayed cursor movement could be construed by the trainer as indecision or hesitation on the part of the trainee. If the cursor movement by the trainee—including between screens—is smooth, it is imperative for it to be seen live and recorded as being smooth. In addition to the above are three dual-monitor timetabling workstations and a quad-monitor trainer workstation, each with a Matrox graphics card and Maevex 6100 encoder card to stream desktop content to the collaborative display wall. The timetabling workstations are used by trainee timetable planners to make on-the-day changes. One of the training objectives is to support the team working between the signallers and planners. Reviewing training sessions On the video wall are 12 monitors in several arrangements that enable the trainer to control the simulation environment and monitor trainee signallers and planners. The video wall can also be used collaboratively to replay and review the training session. This is all from a single, low-footprint Blue Chip Ultima 2M system that hosts a combination of Matrox Mura IPX decoder cards and Matrox Mura MPX input/output video wall cards, which work together to seamlessly decode and display the various incoming streams. The rail network uses Matrox MuraControl for Windows video wall software to manage the incoming IP sources, presenting the information on the wall in a way that looks like the original setup at the trainee’s desk. Matrox provided product and configuration training for Siemens personnel, onsite at Siemens Rail Automation’s headquarters Product and configuration training These ‘video wall copies’ allow trainers and other decision makers to remotely, and instantaneously, see the trainee’s reaction to a given situation. Desktop views are easily switched between trainees. Additionally, Maevex 6100 allows training sessions to be simultaneously recorded to network storage from where the simulations are played back on demand to the individual trainee, or to other interested parties. To complete the offering, Matrox provided product and configuration training for Siemens personnel, onsite at Siemens Rail Automation’s headquarters. Successful implementation Siemens Rail Automation has deployed the IP-based signalling simulator as part of a major project in a leading European-rail-network organisation where it is performing in line with the rail industry’s stringent standards. Similar deployments for other clients are being planned. Using Matrox’s video wall and recording technologies has been instrumental to the successful implementation of this IP-based signalling simulator" Using the standard network to stream the various elements of the simulator in real time has offered many benefits to the client. The video wall displays copies of the trainer’s own screens, as well as a selected trainee’s screens. This IP-based implementation is easily scalable and allows multiple trainees to be participating in the same training session—with the trainer able to select which trainee to be overseeing at a given time. Andy Powell of Siemens Rail Automation says, “Using Matrox’s video wall and streaming and recording technologies has been instrumental to the successful implementation of this pioneering IP-based signalling simulator in our client’s organisation. Without Matrox, this clearly wouldn’t have been achievable.”

The Wisenet hybrid recording solution has been installed at New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton by electronic security specialists, JKE Security. “The medium term objective is to provide the hospital with a complete end-to-end Wisenet solution incorporating the very latest video surveillance technology,” said Dan Mather, director of Derby based JKE Security. “However, New Cross Hospital is not alone in having to carefully manage its budgets and with this in mind, the priority has been to install a hybrid recording solution which comprises a combination of HD+ and NVRs. This has enabled the images from all existing analogue and IP cameras installed throughout the hospital to be recorded at the highest possible resolution.” New Cross Hospital, which is run by the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust was originally built circa 1900 as a workhouse. It now provides 700 beds, employs almost 9500 staff and is the largest teaching hospital in the Black Country. In 2004 the United Kingdom's first purpose built specialist heart centre was opened on its site.AHD technology enables the Wisenet HD+ DVRs to record high-definition images Large storage capacity A total of 17 recording devices have been installed. These include 4 x Wisenet 32 channel XRN -2010 NVRs which each have 21 Terabytes of on-board storage and 13 x Wisenet HD+ 16 channel SRD-1694 DVRs, each with 5 Terabytes of storage. Using AHD technology, the Wisenet HD+ DVRs are able to record high-definition images transmitted over the hospital’s existing coax cabling. “An important aspect of this project is that the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust wanted a recording solution which would be totally compliant with the new GDPR data protection regulations,” said Dan Mather. “Having taken advice from Midwich, the distribution company which we source our video surveillance products from, and having attended a 3 day training course conducted by Hanwha Techwin, we had the confidence to recommend the Wisenet hybrid recording solution to the Trust both in terms of its compliance with GDPR and the user-friendliness of the recording devices.” For the first time in years we are now able to view our entire system on one platform, which is functional and easy to operate" Effective healthcare security “Having successfully completed the first phase of the upgrade, we are looking forward to installing over 200 x Wisenet cameras throughout the hospital in the near future in order to provide security personnel and the hospital’s managers with a powerful tool to maintain a safe and secure environments for doctors, nurses, administration staff and patients.” Paul Smith, Trust Security Manager and Local Security Management Specialist said “We looked long and hard for a suitable solution of integrating our older systems with newer IP systems on the site. For us the best option came in the form of the Wisenet software and recording units and for the first time in years we are now able to view our entire system on one platform, and a platform that is functional and easy to operate." "All of our pre-existing cameras have been synced with the new software with the assistance of JKE Security Ltd. I look forward now to the next stage which will be to replace end of life cameras for the much more technologically advanced kit, which will enable us to use the smarter functions of the Wisenet software.”

Headquartered in a designated facility, the Compton Unified School District (USD) Police Department is committed to providing a safe and secure educational environment for students, staff, and parents. It strives to prevent criminal or delinquent behaviour that has a negative impact on the educational process within the schools and community. Located in a suburban Los Angeles community with a high crime rate, Compton USD is among the 75 percent of schools that have adopted video surveillance solutions, an important tool for ensuring safety on school grounds. Schools facing challenges, such as violence or vandalism on campus, find security cameras an indispensable aid to identifying and resolving issues as they arise. Benitez designed a customised Dahua Technology security system that monitors the premises from the outside perimeter facing inward IP surveillance infrastructure The jungle of outdated and damaged cabling from a defunct analogue video surveillance system that hangs from buildings throughout the grounds serve as a reminder of both the budgetary and technology challenges once facing the Compton USD Police Department. Mario Benitez, an Authorized Dahua Dealer for Advanced Alarm in Santa Fe Springs, California began to explore building an IP surveillance infrastructure that would span the long-distance 2.5-acre grounds without the need for trenching cables. This area houses the Compton USD Police Department buildings, police vehicles, evidence sheds, and other municipal structures. Benitez sought an economical yet scalable solution that would eventually allow officers to remotely monitor video feed directly from Compton school campuses, adding another layer of security to the department’s functionality. Customised security system Compton USD Police Department officials chose to work with Benitez, who approached the project with an innovative solution: incorporating the newest ideas and the most up-to-date surveillance systems available. Benitez designed a customised Dahua Technology security system that monitors the premises from the outside perimeter facing inward, a configuration that provides better views of the four buildings, three gates, and grounds of the Command Center. The Dahua IP cameras and NVR proved to be beneficial because they don’t require physical cabling to connect Partnering with Dahua sales and engineering staff, Benitez deployed a total Dahua solution that included 20 Pro Series 4MP WDR fixed lens Wi-Fi cameras, a 32-channel NVR, three smart switches, one surveillance management centre, two 2.4 and 5.6GHz indoor access points, and four 5.6GHz wireless video transmission devices to create a locked wireless connection. The first unit wirelessly connects six to eight IP cameras on the remote end. The second unit is connected to the NVR network and transmits a signal from the remote cameras. The bridge requires an unobstructed line of sight to create the link. The Dahua IP cameras and NVR proved to be beneficial because they offer a flexible solution that doesn’t require physical cabling to connect. Mapping of project The project required months of planning, a process that involved mapping the project on paper, strategic alignment of networked devices, an audit to ensure operability, and final integration and deployment. “This is one of those projects where the heavy lifting comes in the planning stages. It was a complex project, but the Dahua team was very knowledgeable and helped us put together a powerful solution,” said Benitez. “So, when it came time for the installation it was fast and everything went smoothly.” With strategic placement, the video surveillance cameras can capture both the perimeter and interior of the Compton USD Police Station grounds The plan included leveraging a motor on the back gate of the property to access a 110-volt circuit for power to send a signal across a wireless bridge. With strategic placement of cameras elevated on support poles, the video surveillance cameras can capture both the perimeter and interior of the Compton USD Police Station grounds. The NVR is housed in a rack within the police station command centre, allowing officers to closely monitor the grounds, buildings, and vehicles at a glance to safeguard the facility and its assets. “I was determined to use only Dahua products for this project. They worked with me to deliver a unique, customised solution,” said Benitez. Networked video surveillance solution With the addition of a networked video surveillance solution, the Compton USD Police Department gained a valuable resource for long-term success by implementing a scalable system that meets both immediate security needs and provides for future improvements. The collaboration between Advanced Alarm Inc. and Dahua Technology USA to deploy a top-of-the-line and easy-to-use system resulted in a creative solution that will continue to offer ROI and protect both people and property. “Dahua cares about the installer. They design software with practical functions that are easy to demonstrate, easy to operate, and easy for my customers to understand,” said Benitez. “And that makes my life easier.” Benitez was able to bridge the camera across long distances, delivering seamless connectivity Revolutionary new protocol Benitez worked closely with Dahua sales and engineering representatives to identify solutions that reinforced his problem-solving skills to design and deploy an innovative networked solution. He established a revolutionary new protocol for designing a video surveillance system with camera placement on the outside perimeter facing inward—a model that is gaining popularity with his customers, setting him apart, and increasing demand for his services. In addition, he was able to bridge the camera across long distances using wireless access points and smart switches to deliver seamless connectivity. “After 25 years in the business, I can finally say I’ve found a brand I like,” he said. “Now I only use Dahua products. They’re very user-friendly and work right out of the box.”

Early in 2017, the School of Information and Communication (FIC) was inaugurated at the University of the Republic of Uruguay (Udelar). They announced a new headquarters to support the core mission of the school that was created in 2013. It regained a large space that had gone unused for decades, and part of the senior living facility, Asáma Dámaso Antonio. It is a structure of 8,500 square meters and four floors that now houses nearly 4,000 students, 200 teachers and 80 administrative and logistics staff on a daily basis. In the facility there are classrooms and administrative offices, a large and modern library, audio and video recording rooms and an advanced television studio. With the presence of such modern technological investments in the property, the concern about theft and damage increased, due to the high traffic of faculty, students and visitors who could access the equipment and devices. Necessity of increased security As Yonathan Benelli, IT manager at Udelar, states: "The new headquarters greatly increased the vulnerability points for security. Without a video system like the one now implemented, it would be unfeasible to maintain an acceptable level of security."The savings were not only in technology acquisition, but also in hardware and human resources.  Benelli adds that despite the need for a professional video surveillance system for the educational institution, "it was unthinkable to carry out a traditional CCTV installation with coaxial cabling, due to its high cost. Therefore, the installation of a Milestone IP video management system within the existing IT network infrastructure versus performing a coaxial interconnection resulted in a very significant cost reduction." The savings were not only in technology acquisition, but also in hardware and human resources. "We estimate that without this system, we would have needed at least four added employees dedicated to surveillance. Also, we took advantage of existing hardware," emphasises Benelli. At the university the concern about theft and damage increased, due to the high traffic of people  Simple and easy integration Foxsys, the company managing the technology integration for this project, proposed the implementation of the XProtect Professional solution from Milestone Systems. It is an open interface application designed for IP network video management software with easy, intuitive and powerful functions. The XProtect Smart Client interface has advanced search tools that combine with an easy-to-navigate video timeline, allowing users to quickly and accurately examine events. It also offers sophisticated export options, including the Storyboard feature, which helps consolidate relevant video evidence to gain a complete view of incidents. According to Juan Martín González, commercial director of Foxsys, “The XProtect professional software was selected because of the system’s alarm notifications which were important in this application.” He said the solution was complemented by two virtual machines that operate on an HP server and are managed by the software Promox, which proved highly reliable. Digital Watchdog and Hikvision cameras were used. The benefits include the capacity to manage multiple cameras simultaneously, comprehensive remote monitoring and more advanced recording “In particular, the DW cameras allowed us to have a 180-degree panorama of some specific areas and the HK cameras were extremely useful, because Milestone recognises the video analytics’ algorithms of crossing a perimeter line that run in the camera. A data network was implemented on Cat 6 UTP and HPE POE 1920 switches. In terms of storage, we used the NAS QNAP brand with eight bays of 4TB each, implementing a RAID 5 for more protection and data writing speed. We were surprised how well Milestone worked on a Proxmox virtual machine,” says Gonzalez. More advanced recording and navigation settings The benefits, as Benelli points out, are countless and include: the capacity to manage multiple cameras simultaneously; comprehensive remote monitoring; end-user event search functionality; more advanced recording and navigation settings; easier role definition and permissions management of user accessibility. “The implementation was a success in every sense, not only from the point of view of the service provided by the system, but also by the guidance, suggestions and labor that the company provided beyond the installation and configuration, in which all the required and additional goals were met,” concluded Benelli.

National Business Crime Solution (NBCS), a not-for-profit organisation that enables the sharing of data between law enforcement agencies and the business community in order to reduce crime, is celebrating the success of the very first Business Impact Reduction Day (BIRD)—also known as Operation BIRD—an industry-led initiative that is designed to target and manage the effect of business related crime activity. Police-assisted retail surveillance The initial exercise took place at Westfield shopping centre in London, where 51 security and loss prevention professionals from across the industry joined forces with the police service and retailers to target prolific and persistent offenders. The brainchild of NBCS, Operation BIRD was supported by the Metropolitan Police’s Business Crime Hub, National Business Crime Centre, Territorial Support Group, London Borough of Newham and Westfield Stratford City—all of which played a vital role in planning and executing the manoeuvre. The day began with a full briefing and the identification of persistent offenders, who were to be apprehended in a safe manner with no violence. In addition, a team of ‘super-recognisers’ from the Metropolitan Police was present to identify any other offenders on the police radar.Perhaps the most significant, and unexpected, result of the day concerned the apprehension of a 15-year-old female from the north of England Officers in this unit have the ability to instantly place a familiar face, a skill that some researchers estimate is present in just one percent of the population. Successful implementation with civil recovery Operation BIRD proved to be a remarkable success with 18 detentions and various actions including penalty notices, community resolutions and civil recoveries, as well as a number of arrests and charges. Perhaps the most significant, and unexpected, result of the day concerned the apprehension of a 15-year-old female from the north of England, who it transpired was the victim of child sexual exploitation and was being coerced into shoplifting. She is now under the auspices of the child protection authorities and currently in care. Retail security education and training NBCS managing director, Dan Hardy, commented, “The story of how this vulnerable young person came to be shoplifting in Westfield shopping centre was truly shocking. It has brought into sharp focus why safeguarding intervention requires sensitive and considerate handling when dealing with the victims of child sexual exploitation. "It has also highlighted the need for security service providers to educate their officers on this subject and implement consistent training. NBCS will be looking to drive this forward with its industry partners, while further Operation BIRD activities will take place around the country in places that NBCS intelligence suggests are crime hotspots.” Detective chief inspector, Georgina Barnard, leader of the National Business Crime Centre, was equally impressed with the results. She concluded, “Operation BIRD has proved what can be achieved when relevant parties join forces to target and prevent the impact of business related crime activity. I applaud NBCS for this initiative and look forward to working on similar activities in the future.”