The Press Release Resource

• Tweet

• Tweet

Siemens has partnered with Wilson James to secure a £7m contract to supply the London Borough of Bexley with a comprehensive CCTV security system. The system will help to reduce crime and secure the safety of people and places within the Borough.

Under the contract signed on 4th December 2009 – the first of its kind with a local authority – Siemens and Wilson James will not only design and build, but also staff, manage and operate a comprehensive outsourced CCTV service for Bexley. The project includes the design and development of a purpose-built control room which will become the nerve centre for a comprehensive network of 240 CCTV cameras sited at strategic sites within the Borough, including Bexleyheath, Welling, Erith, Sidcup and Northumberland Heath town centres.

Siemens are already working closely with the Council to maintain the existing service, while preparing to develop the new control room.

Using the latest digital image recording and monitoring equipment, CCTV operators will be able to identify incidents and co-ordinate appropriate responses from a range of public sector organisations, including the police, fire and ambulance services. Radio links between staff in pubs and shops, police officers and camera operators will also be used to further monitor criminal activity and public disorder incidents. A senior police officer was a member of the panel that was involved in awarding the contract.

The contract covers the maintenance and repair of the existing camera network and a phased replacement of obsolete equipment.

“The new contract reflects the important part that CCTV plays in the life of the borough and is very good news for our residents and for the Council,” said Cllr Teresa O’Neill, the Leader of the London Borough of Bexley. “Siemens and Wilson James have considerable experience in delivering complex town centre schemes and we are confident that their expertise, technical knowledge and innovative approach will be of great benefit to the borough.”

“We decided to outsource the CCTV service to provide a higher level of service to our residents and to ensure that Bexley benefits from the latest recording and monitoring technology,” added Cllr Katie Perrior, the Council’s Cabinet member for Community Affairs. “The new control room, which is scheduled to open in Spring 2010, will be located in existing council offices, which will help to minimise costs.

“By outsourcing CCTV services we have been able to reduce the ongoing risk to the Council of managing high technology services. We no longer have to get involved with purchasing specialist equipment and compatibility, because the contract covers this for us. This is particularly important, as much of the Council’s current network of cameras is coming to the end of its life.”

The contract will provide 24-hour 365 day a year monitoring of Bexley’s extensive network of cameras.

It was Siemens that delivered the first major ‘real time’ town centre scheme at King’s Lynn in 1991 and in 1995 became the first company to design and install a multi-town CCTV system for Swale, Kent where several towns were controlled form a single point – an innovative project which won the prestigious Euralarm award for the most innovative crime prevention scheme across Europe.

David Pickles, managing director of Siemens’ Security Solutions, Building Technologies Division says:

“We have an established track record in town centre surveillance and currently protect about 60 town or city centres, including Liverpool which is one of the largest urban developments in the UK. So town centre surveillance is something we are very good at.

“Our priority is to build long term partnerships, using legacy equipment wherever possible but also helping clients keep pace with technological advances. This is achieved by future proofing system design and budgeting for equipment upgrades as they become necessary over time.

“The Council has clearly identified the benefits of opting for a complete outsourced CCTV service and we feel they will very quickly realise a return on the investment they have made, both in terms of reducing costs and minimising risk.”

For further information, please contact the security solutions team at Siemens on 01932 898500, or visit www.siemens.co.uk/securitysolutions