A case study of CCTV cameras in 17 high rise blocks managed by a West Midlands provider of social housing.
Formed in 2003, Walsall Housing Group (whg) owns and manages around 19,000 properties across Walsall, housing nearly 40,000 people, a fifth of the borough’s population.
whg Technical Specialist, Paul Martin, said: “Before the surveillance system was installed, we relied on foot patrols to monitor the blocks every night. With a maximum of only two patrols per night, we weren’t really catching anything. With the CCTV recording 24 hours a day it means we can catch more and be reactive. From our control room we can identify incidents and alert our patrols so they can investigate.”
With the CCTV whg has been able to assist the police in prosecutions and investigations, including preventing illegal activity, often outside whg properties.
Paul Martin said: “On one occasion we were asked to help with an investigation in to a man who had allegedly stolen a car. The police asked him where he had been at the time, and he claimed to be in the pub down the road. We had a look through the CCTV and we managed to pull up a man matching his description and the location. The police were able to use that footage to aid in a prosecution.”
And Community Safety Manager, Annete Harpin, said: “We once saw a domestic disturbance taking place with a woman’s partner dragging her into a property. We called the police and she was safe as a result.”
Some 380 Panasonic cameras are displayed on a 5×2 video wall configuration of 55-inch Panasonic professional displays in the WHG control room. Activity captured by any camera is automatically brought up on screen through motion detection, saving whg security staff from manually patrolling through the cameras.
Panasonic also developed an incident manager package for the Group, for tracking incidents. That software integrates with whg’s customer relationship management (CRM) software, allowing for reporting. Audio allows staff in the control room to communicate with potential trouble-makers caught on camera.
A resident of whg said: “Before the cameras were installed, we were having a lot of problems with people breaking in, using drugs and other things, we didn’t really feel safe. Now we have the cameras and security, it’s fantastic, you can sleep at night, you feel a lot safer and happier. We wouldn’t move anywhere else.”
The housing group has calculated that over three months the system has paid for itself through social benefits, such as fewer police and ambulance visits, and fewer visits to the doctors. “It’s not just for Walsall Housing Group, it’s for the people of Walsall,” said Annete Harpin.
Visit: http://business.panasonic.co.uk/
