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Evolving your Town Centre Security System

Leaving The Analogue Age

From deterring crime to encouraging economic growth, effective Public Access Space CCTV Systems are a vital pillar in the development of every town centre.

Since 1992, we have supported over 90 town centres with implementing and managing their surveillance systems, making Public Access Space a core element of our business.

Our expert Team collaborates with Community Safety Officers across the UK to create a strategic map for each Council's analogue-to-digital transition.

Typically, this means a phased migration from their old analogue systems to a hybrid model that maximises the existing analogue infrastructure.

Through careful planning, this strategy has benefited our clients with an expandable alternative that delivers improved image quality with the phased implementation of all new digital units over time.

A Roadmap To A Digital Future

Managing the transition from the existing analogue system to a fully digital solution is a multi-faceted endeavour, where small decisions can have significant consequences for the future viability of the scheme.

Before making any decisions on the future of the CCTV System, our first step is to fully understand what your local authority needs to achieve in the short, medium, and longer term.

This includes analysis of the IP infrastructure (schools, council offices, depots etc.) and mapping existing camera locations onto the IP infrastructure as a starting point.

With this initial planning, short-term decisions will align with medium and long-term goals.

Our Technical Team will work closely with your IT department to understand your network footprint expansion plans and identify the most efficient process to migrate CCTV Transmission effectively.

Managing The Change

The next step typically is upgrading the Control Room.

Migrating the existing analogue matrix to a newer 'Virtual-Matrix' (IP Based) arrangement is central to the entire upgrade.

Our Team conducts a detailed analysis of the best solutions on the market. It identifies an open protocol system robust enough to work with the existing hardware and provide a future-orientated central hub for the Council.

Appreciating how a systems upgrade impacts the day-to-day operations of your local authority, we have developed an excellent reputation for creating solutions to mitigate this problem.

For example, the first stage of a recent project for the Rhondda Cynon Taff Council saw the creation of a new Control Room in only two days.

In addition, a successful tactic we have utilised to reduce the operational impact is establishing a temporary CCTV control position for the old system at a separate location.

Work can be carried out on the main control room whilst leaving a safe environment for the CCTV operator to work in.

Read more about this with our Case Study for Oxford County Borough Council.

The upgrade will grant Security Teams greater awareness and decision-making through several levels of automation for actions and events.

This can include the enhanced transfer of digital evidence through a cloud system, enabling the Police to access specific footage without having to visit the Control Centre.

Evolving Your Vision

The move from analogue to IP should also be considered from an image quality perspective. The next phase sees a strategic upgrade of cameras, covering all Category A security locations across the area.

Some analogue images over fibre-optic circuits can be superior to IP cameras over lower bandwidth digital networks. However, new high-end Bosch units, for example, ensure image quality that is four times better than the old cameras and has operationally effective night-time quality.

Our experts will work with your Community Safety Teams to identify Category A security locations that need to be replaced by the latest IP models. The best remaining analogue units are redeployed to areas of lower security concern.

This was a crucial stage in our work with Oxford Council to make the streets safer for women walking home at night. Read more here.

Go Full Digital

There are many advantages associated with upgrading to high-bandwidth IP transmission. The main benefits are:

Flexibility of implementation
Portability
Ease of integration with other equipment and systems
Resilience
Disaster Recovery / Control Room Re-location
IP CCTV Cameras offer future-proof technology – IP cameras can easily be upgraded from static cameras to functional cameras and can be easily re-located or redeployed if necessary.

Making the first step

As technical experts in the field of integrated electronic security systems, we have worked in partnership with Community Safety Officers across the UK to carefully design and implement a Hybrid system that derives maximum benefit from the existing assets, whilst putting the infrastructure in place for a fully digital future.

Our Analogue to Digital Evolution Plan ensures a smooth, future proof pathway for County Borough Councils, with achievable investment milestones that progress their system to a hybrid solution, before finally transitioning to fully digital operation.

If you would like a initial chat to discuss how we an help you evolve your CCTV scheme then please contact us on 01443 405052 or email us at info@cdssystems.co.uk

Read more about the work we have done with other local authorities to support their evolution from analogue to digital.

https://cdssystems.co.uk/rhondda-town-centre-cctv-project/

https://cdssystems.co.uk/vale-of-whitehorse-town-centre-cctv/

https://cdssystems.co.uk/aylesbury-town-centre/

https://cdssystems.co.uk/windsor-and-maidenhead-borough-cctv-system/