Case Studies

Luton CCTV partnership

by Mark Rowe

A five-year partnership contract with Luton Borough Council, to look after a range of public security and FM services, has gone to Quadrant Security Group (QSG), part of Synectics plc.

The contract of £1.5m with an option to extend, builds on existing relationships with QSG and includes the running, managing and staffing of the council’s recently upgraded CCTV control room, with the maintenance of access control systems and the provision of ad-hoc guarding services. QSG sister company SSS was brought in to help design systems and processes to meet the council’s requirements for its public security infrastructure, whilst achieving efficiency savings estimated at £400,000 over five years. In the first instance the new model will achieve a guaranteed cost reduction of at least £50,000 a year. This figure will then increase each year, with a plan aimed at making the control room pay for itself over ten years.

Like many UK councils, Luton is under pressure to deliver public services and cut budgets. The project seeks town-wide security systems and intelligent, value-added partnership working.

Paul Moonan, Managing Director, Integration and Managed Services Division at Synectics, says: “Our long-standing relationship with Luton Borough Council in all things CCTV allowed us to analyse every aspect of the existing infrastructure. We knew exactly what was needed and how all the different parts – people, processes and equipment – could be made to work together more effectively. SSS helped us draw up monitoring, reporting and service level plans, so the Council always has the full picture of our (and their system’s) performance. This is our first major outsourcing deal and it harnesses our expertise in technology, installation and maintenance, combined with the provision of managed services. This model is a great way for local authorities to professionalise and streamline their public security and CCTV systems to deliver best value to police, businesses and the local community.”

Robin Porter, corporate director of commercial and transformation services at Luton Borough Council, adds: “We ran a very thorough procurement process to find an innovative solution that takes a holistic view of our security service delivery. Our recently updated control room is state-of-the-art – we want to make the most of it and ensure it’s run to the highest standard of operational excellence. It’s our duty to maintain this invaluable infrastructure as a public service – to make communities safer and aid police investigations. QSG’s proposal has helped us create a system that can work at its best to improve public safety while contributing to its own upkeep. Ultimately, this means better value for money for taxpayers and an attractive service offering to local businesses and the wider community.”

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