Camden Council

Case study

Camden County Council is responsible for the security of the town. A vital tool for this, is the use of a significant number of cameras placed around the town. The introduction of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) has been one of the best weapons against crime. It has been proven to be effective in both cutting and detecting crime and, as a result, people now feel safer when they're out and about. The Home Office states CCTV surveillance is particularly valuable when used as part of a wider crime reduction strategy, thus strengthening partnership with the local police. Pictures from the cameras are continuously monitored in real time at the Communications centre and can also be viewed by the police from their offices.

The CCTV control room at Camden Space is at a premium at Camden. Previously there was a monitor stack in place which uses one camera feed per monitor. The monitor stack offers a high resolution but requires extra monitors to be added as cameras are added. This is not only costly but takes up a lot of space and continually increases power consumption and the resulting need for expanded air conditioning. The requirement was therefore set for a system that would be flexible enough to allow the increase of camera feeds and yet still maintain resolution and quality of image. Another consideration was the networkability of the software, enabling multiple operators ease of access and ease of use. The officers at Camden needed to be able to view historic footage along side current footage for comparison purposes as well as access the internet from the control room for complete information review.

The Barco iSurveillance solution resolved these issues easily. There are a total of three 80” displays all based on Barco’s latest high resolution DLPTM rear projection technology. Two are used for community safety and one is used for the parking section, and all ensure optimal image quality. The multiple camera feeds are routed via Barco’s compact Hydras populated with analogue video inputs and RGB computer inputs.

The new system also now facilitates integration of data information. Mapping software provides helicopter views, while live camera feeds can be viewed adjacent to the actual cameras location on screen. Currently the Barco displays are operating alongside conventional monitor stacks. Clive Paul, Camden’s Control Room Manager, already has plans underway to move the whole control room over to the Barco solution and make more of the space and technology available.

Simon Turtle – Market Development Manager, Traffic and Surveillance, EMEA stated ‘The Camden application provides a perfect example of the benefits that Barco’s iSurveillance solution provides over and above the conventional monitor stack. Camden divide their systems between the town center monitoring and Parking enforcement. The added flexibility in terms of multiple sources; image scalability; low cost of ownership and ability to easily migrate to digital sources both now and in the future will ensure Clive that his team’s plans will be easily met.’