The art of surveillance - Enhancing site security through remote CCTV

Rising prices for materials formerly considered to be waste, in particular scrap metal, are driving soaring theft rates and in turn a growing need for intelligent security at waste management sites by Adam Wiseberg Materials handled by waste management companies are becoming increasingly valuable. Those responsible for the security of facilities that treat waste or manage scrap will testify to the precautions needed to fight an ongoing battle against unauthorised access by criminals and, crucially, to prevent the damage they can cause through theft, vandalism or even arson. Of particular concern is the escalating level of metal theft, driven by various factors including the demand for metal in rapidly developing economies such as China and India. Few places seem to be immune from attack; even churches, particularly their roofs, have been targeted by thieves. Ecclesiastical Insurance dealt with 1800 claims from Anglican churches across the UK in 2007, worth £5.8 million ($11.5 million). On a daily basis there are reports of the wholesale removal of railings, manhole covers and even statues, with a bronze statue of Olympic 800-metre champion Steve Ovett stolen from Brighton last September being a case in point. This is a pressing issue on a global scale. In South Africa the authorities have been forced to cope with blackouts as gangs go after copper and aluminium cables, with as much as 100 miles-worth (160 km) going missing every year much of this is then sold as scrap to meet booming global demand. And within the waste sector, sadly there are also less scrupulous scrap metal operators who are adding to the problem. Last year police in the USA had to shut down one Seattle operator after an undercover investigation established that the owners were quite happily handling large amounts of stolen scrap metal, much of it public property, including road signs and traffic cameras. Against this backdrop many reputable metal and waste recycling sites are feeling particularly vulnerable. What are the solutions? While there are a number of solutions available to enhance security at a waste site, ranging from the use of guard dogs and patrols to the erection of fencing and perimeter lighting, one solution that is finding increasing favour is the use of closed circuit television (CCTV). Many waste operators are considering ever more sophisticated forms of CCTV. Operators at RemGuard’s Remote Video Response Centre (RVRC) Click here to enlarge image A leading UK supplier of such technology is RemGuard Visual Management, part of the AD Group. RemGuard has been at the forefront of remotely monitored CCTV in the UK for more than a decade, continually improving and refining the service it offers. And the perspectives below draw upon RemGuard’s experience in this field. The latest trends in intelligent CCTV Remotely monitored or detector-activated CCTV is at the forefront of this trend and, in the UK at least, it will inevitably be more widely applied now that there is a British Standard (BS 8418) in place to support best practice. This type of CCTV really comes into its own overnight, where attacks by hardened criminals and petty vandals can pose the greatest problems for sites, which are often positioned well away from public view. In practice, with remotely monitored, detector-activated CCTV, detectors are placed strategically around a location and linked by transmission equipment to a remote video response centre (RVRC). Here operators can provide 24-hour event-driven monitoring of a specified area without the need and cost of having guards permanently on site. When detectors are triggered, images from on-site cameras are automatically transmitted typically via internet broadband connection to the RVRC. Operators are able to confirm what is happening and even issue verbal warnings via on-site speakers talking CCTV to warn off intruders. Experience suggests that this step alone is a sufficient deterrent in over 90% of incidents. Where offenders are more determined, operators can alert the emergency services and key holders. The economics of this type of CCTV have also changed for the better with sites now able to take advantage of ‘free for use’ transmission equipment if they sign-up for a monitoring contract. This should hopefully drive take-up and bring BS 8418-compliant remotely monitored CCTV within reach of sites that may previously have shied away from this technology and relied instead on conventional intruder alarms, where false activations are a recurring problem. Also from a police perspective, it is naturally preferable for an operator to be able to see what is going on as opposed to the more limited information provided by an intruder alarm. The latest solutions even allow site managers to have direct access to the system from a local PC. This allows authorized personnel to view live and recorded images during working hours when the remotely monitored service may not be active, or at home in the evening when informed of an incident by the RVRC. Of course what really matters with any security technology are the practical experiences of people on the ground; below are some examples of sites where the application of remotely monitored CCTV monitored by a BS8418-compliant RVRC has made a real difference to event detection and deterrence. Metal madness As the theft of metal continues to hit the headlines, with everything from statues to church roofs in the firing line, one UK company is fighting back thanks to remotely monitored, detector-activated CCTV. Oldbury Aluminium Alloys is engaged mainly in the manufacture of secondary aluminium alloy ingots and operates a scrap recycling business for a number of blue chip companies. To address the ongoing threat, the West Midlands-based company is applying sophisticated event-driven CCTV technology to help protect its headquarters against the dramatic explosion in attacks across the country. Oldbury is one of an increasing number of sites to adopt this solution for ‘out of hours’ security, in preference to more traditional options such as manned guarding or CCTV recorded for later review. The Oldbury Aluminium Alloys’ site, which was an attractive target for criminals Click here to enlarge image Managing Director Jonathan Gadsby commented: ‘The nature of our business, processing valuable metal, means that we are an attractive target, so effective security is of paramount importance. ‘Sadly in our local area there is a high theft rate for scrap metal and metal theft of all types is up 112% year-on-year. Without measures such as remotely monitored CCTV to deter them, in an industrial estate like ours, criminals are more than willing to attempt to climb over a fence onto site and grab specific items often stealing to order and then selling these on for cash. In terms of scrap metal there are always some less scrupulous operators who are quite happy to melt down scrap with no questions asked especially given the rise in metal prices. At Oldbury we only ever buy our scrap metal from known sources.’ A key benefit for Oldbury is the ability of the CCTV solution to prevent unexpected downtime, caused by attacks, with all the consequent disruption to business and the potential impact on insurance premiums. According to Gadsby a number of incidents have underlined the value of the remotely monitored CCTV: ‘In one case a gang broke into our site during the night by climbing an external fence. Thankfully two individuals were spotted by operators at the RVRC who alerted the police and one of our key holders. The police were then able to bring their dogs onto our site to track down and detain one of the intruders at the scene. Without prompt action we could have faced considerable losses and disruption to business.’ A CCTV camera keeps watch over the site Click here to enlarge image In another incident, over a weekend, when a detector was activated, operators at the RVRC realised that one of the cameras on site had been knocked out of position. With the help of the site plan stored on their system and other cameras, they were able to track down an intruder and alert the police. As the incident had been confirmed visually, the police quickly attended the site and arrested an individual plus another suspect found nearby. Replica gun incident Premier Waste (UK) Ltd is another business active within the UK waste sector which has adopted remotely monitored, detector activated, CCTV, in this case to secure its extensive waste management and recycling site in Hyde, Greater Manchester. Crane operator David Wood spotted a youth pointing what appeared to be a gun in his direction Click here to enlarge image The facility hit the headlines last September when CCTV images were shown in the media of a teenager aiming what appeared to be an AK47 rifle from the adjacent Newton Railway Station. The company’s crane driver spotted two youths acting suspiciously, one of whom seemed to be pointing a rifle in his direction, and radioed Frank Ridley, a Director at Premier Waste (UK) Ltd, who was able to control the CCTV locally using the viewing software supplied with RemGuard’s transmission equipment to take a closer look at the scene as well as contacting both Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and RemGuard. Although the incident happened during the day, according to Ridley, the RVRC provided invaluable assistance: ‘They were able to supply images of the youths which we presented to the police. The footage also helped to bring about the arrest of the suspects with a 15-year-old given a final warning and a 17-year-old a community order. Although it turned out that the AK47 was a replica there was no way of us knowing this at the time. It was certainly good to have RemGuard’s help and advice to turn to for what seemed, on the face of it, to be a much more serious event.’ Management matters Away from this high profile incident, the event-driven solution is also critical for the smooth running of his waste management business, said Ridley: ‘We have a large 20-strong fleet of bio-fuelled vehicles parked-up on site which need to be protected at all times. If the trucks are damaged they may have to be taken out of service, leading to unplanned downtime and a knock-on effect on our customers waiting for their skip to be delivered or waste collected. Alongside this, the CCTV solution needs to be able to prevent criminals stealing our valuable garage equipment used for vehicle maintenance and stop unauthorized access to our offices.’ There have been a number of out-of-hours incidents were the service has proved particularly helpful. ‘The fast response of operators at the Remote Video Response Centre secured an arrest and conviction in one of the incidents. We also used to have problems with youths coming into the yard and hotwiring the vehicles. They couldn’t actually move them as we have an air immobilizing system, but coming in the next morning to find most of the lorries running was extremely frustrating never mind the cost of the fuel. The good news is that because of the RVRC’s vigilance this kind of incident has stopped completely.’ Ridley also stresses the role that the latest surveillance system has in keeping employees safe on site. ‘Given the nature of our business the CCTV solution has proven extremely helpful in allowing me to monitor staff with their agreement for health and safety compliance. It has also been successful, when the remote monitoring and loudspeakers are applied, in stopping young kids using our site as a playground when we are shut down at night or during the weekend. Our own employees are well trained to deal with the waste on site and handle the heavy equipment, but it is certainly not an environment we would want children running around in for their own safety.’ Securing the future Ultimately, when it comes to securing recycling and waste sites from attack by opportunists and hardened criminals, the flexibility and economics of ‘intelligent’ remotely monitored CCTV which meets the latest BS8418 standard seems certain to win more and more converts. And, while of course few would welcome any form of escalation in criminal activity, such a trend does at least point toward the value inherent in waste. Earlier this year the International Iron and Steel Institute reported that steel cans remain the world’s most recycled packaging material. In 2006, 6.6 million tonnes of steel cans were recycled, across the 35 countries represented in the data collection. If one extrapolates from the business being done with this item alone, it is no surprise that security is an important issue going forward. Adam Wiseberg is Managing Director of RemGuard Visual Managementemail: remenquiry@remguard.co.uk or visit www.remguard.com