Prior to 2009, Ellesmere Port & Neston, Northwich and Chester (boasting a combined population of around 326,000 people) fell under three separate authorities. When structural changes to the local Government system were introduced, the three Boroughs were replaced by one unitary authority – namely Cheshire West & Chester.
The merger presented an opportunity to upgrade CCTV provision in the three town/city centres around a defined need to do so, integrating the systems and maximising efficiencies by converging the three separate Control Rooms into one.
As the largest of the three existing Control Rooms, Chester was chosen as the base for the new converged CCTV Control Centre.
Following a competitive tender, and having worked with the authority in the past to rectify system legacy faults as well as upgrade and integrate new cameras, Quadrant Security Group (QSG) was selected to meet the brief.
Key considerations for QSG were enabling the new Control Centre to fully integrate with historical analogue and more modern digital systems, making use of private/leased fibre optics and existing ICT networks.
Providing secure footage access and sharing capabilities, as well as facilitating the audit trails necessary for such a system, were also deemed ‘essentials’.
Specifics of the solution
The solution developed and implemented by QSG meets these objectives and, over the five year terms of service, will result in an estimated saving of GB pound 70,000 on line charges alone.
The new Chester Control Centre consists of three operator positions, two supervisor GUI, one review and three remote viewing stations all operating on a single integrated system designed to deliver quicker and more robust management access and processes.
A key feature of the Control Centre is a Master Matrix Wall consisting of 17 x 46-inch Flatvision screens capable of displaying footage from 256 camera locations across Chester, Northwich and Ellesmere Port & Neston.
Using 16 x Synectics wall controllers, authorised users can tailor their own specific settings, access (and remotely control) cameras and generate reports using a wide range of selection criteria.
Views from the end user
Peter Johnson, CCTV manager for Cheshire West & Chester, said: “When deciding on the best way forward for CCTV across the authority, we conducted a detailed evaluation and risk assessment that revealed the benefits and potential pitfalls of integrating three different legacy systems into one configured network.”
Johnson continued: “What we needed was a team that would listen to our findings and use their own knowledge and experience to develop, implement and maintain a bespoke solution in partnership with us. Effectively we wanted a provider that would become an extension of our own team.”
He enthused: “Quadrant Security Group met those requirements and has devised a solution that is already producing cost and time saving benefits for us.”
Implementation of Remote Evidence Software
Another key feature of the newly-installed Control Room is the “groundbreaking” Remote Evidence Software specified and integrated by QSG. This facilitates secure 24-hour access by key third party organisations such as the police service and HMRC in line with data protection principles: the first system of its kind in the UK.
For Graeme Gerrard, deputy chief constable of Cheshire Constabulary and ACPO lead on CCTV, the Remote Evidence Software feature is a significant development.
Gerrard stated: “Being able to access high quality CCTV footage of suspected criminal activity quickly and securely is so important for modern day policing. Through the new Chester Control Centre we’re able to do this without requiring system or personnel downtime.”
The new Control Centre is part of a wider body of work QSG is undertaking for the council, with future initiatives including the full integration of a Co-Sign radio system and the development of an urban traffic control solution.
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