Hikvision's cameras help improve the surveillance of the City of Mennecy

Cities all over the world are looking at ways to reduce and manage crime levels. One such city, Mennecy, turned to installer Ibson for a solution, who then installed Hikvision cameras and equipment.

Challenge

The city of Mennecy lies to the southeast of Paris, in the Essonne department of France. It has a population of around 14,500, and its Mayor, Jean-Phillipe Dugoin-Clément wanted to take steps to make his city safer, both for these residents and visitors. They had already identified areas where a crime was more likely to happen and needed to make these more secure.

They also wanted to make local festivals more secure. With new measures to monitor these issues, the aim was to detect any suspicious behaviour and allow these incidents to be flagged to the Police department, who could then intervene. Although, of course, these measures could help combat more serious crimes like assaults, they were also instrumental in reducing ‘community crimes’ like urinating in public.

Hikvision’s camera solution

The solution was brought together and managed using iVMS 4200 and a video wall in the city monitoring centre

The installation team put in 78 cameras around areas that they see as strategic - schools, shopping malls, and train stations. They chose Network IR Speed Dome (DS-2DF8836) in the Smart IP series because these cameras give very good quality images both day and night, using DarkFighter technology to 0.002 lux.

They also put ANPR (DS-2CD4626FWD-IZH/P, DS-2CD4A26FWD-IZH/P) cameras on major roads to curb speeding, using new AI innovations to improve the system. This meant that the city could process speeding tickets, and essentially led to a reduction in speeding on those main roads. Finally, the solution was brought together and managed using iVMS 4200 and a video wall in the city monitoring centre.

Results:

Reduced complaints

The results were impressive. They saw a drop in incidents in the areas where the cameras were installed. In those places, delinquency was reduced or even removed altogether. The images from the cameras make the job of the Police easier to do also provide them with good quality images if they need to put together a case.

Dominique Ancher, Director of Ibson, says, “The return on investment was excellent. The city saw fewer complaints, and we see that people were much more relaxed and happier because of the drop in crime rates, but also because of the peace of mind that the cameras give.”

Setting up an urban supervisory centre

The City of Mennecy plans to ramp up the coverage through the city, installing 200 cameras within five years. This is the first stage of a plan to set up a new urban supervisory centre to establish live management of camera streams throughout the city, providing a crucial resource for the Police and other organisations. They will be able to do this using Hikvision technology, like DarkFighter X and Rapid Focus.

Securing a whole city is a massive undertaking, but it’s clear that by tackling the key areas which have typically higher crime rates, a surveillance solution can do wonders for the local feel-good factor.