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Secom calls in intelligent CCTV to beat petrol station crime

by msecadm4921

Round the clock protection of petrol stations and forecourt convenience stores takes a big step ahead with the latest concept in CCTV – intelligent cameras. The new-generation CCTV systems, recently added to Secom’s range of electronic security solutions, give greater clarity, efficiency and overall technical performance than older systems.

The same new technology also promises attractive security enhancements and superior system performance for other CCTV users – especially those using IP transmission to central recording and monitoring stations.

Secom has already installed the new technology at a major customer’s forecourt, and early feedback is that intelligent cameras are very efficient.

“Petrol stations are prime targets for crime on three fronts: people deliberately driving off without paying, shoplifting and till robbery (often with threats against staff) during opening hours, and burglaries after hours,” says Alan Blake, Secom plc Sales and Marketing Director.

“CCTV has made a significant difference for petrol station operators, and there are many cases where CCTV footage has helped to identify and convict offenders. In the past, this required examination of extensive footage – often long after the event, so it was relatively inefficient. Until now, improvements in technology have been accompanied by difficulties elsewhere in the system. 

“The introduction of motion-sensing cameras meant on-site digital video recorders captured only potentially significant events – not continuous coverage. The disadvantage was that animals crossing a site could also trigger the cameras, which unnecessarily added to DVR footage and, if signals were routed to a central monitoring point, raised false alarms.

“The advent of megapixel-type cameras brought greater clarity of images – at the expense of storage capacity and bandwidth on IP networks.”

Enter the intelligent camera. Gary Mercer, UK Sales Director for VideoIQ, takes up the story: “We have supplied Secom with a range of high quality megapixel cameras with individual integrated DVR facilities for use on a client’s petrol station forecourts.

“The immediate advantage is that the system does not rely on a single DVR which can be the weak spot. Less obvious, but more important, is that an event triggering several cameras does not produce a sudden demand for bandwidth. What does happen, is that as well as storing images, cameras send short bursts of video to the central monitoring facility where operators are able to assess the situation and decide on the best response. If necessary, the security operator can download additional images from the camera.

“The other big advantage is the cameras’ inbuilt intelligence – using algorithm-based video analytics. This enables them to self-calibrate and ‘recognise’ their environment and non-threatening events – such as an animal on the site. A traditional camera is set up on Day One, and that’s as good as it gets. Our intelligent cameras spend Day One learning … and they carry on learning, getting better all the time.

“Finally, the cameras are easier and cheaper to install. The ‘edge-based’

analytics and storage ideally lend themselves to wireless solutions, reduce

bandwidth burden by up to 90% and eliminate the cost of central storage .

They are also POE devices, which add further flexibility in the cost

effectiveness of the installation.”

Alan Blake says intelligent cameras are an extremely exciting development in CCTV-based electronic security. “This technology is also very suitable for deployment across a wide range of commercial, industrial and governmental applications, bringing new levels of security and efficiency. We see it becoming the new standard in CCTV security.”

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