4 April 2025

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Thames Valley Police: Enhancing public safety with a CCTV partnership

Thames Valley Police worked with local authorities to improve CCTV coverage, cut costs, and boost efficiency. It’s made public spaces safer and ensured long-term, reliable monitoring across the region. Thames Valley Police is the largest non-metropolitan police force in England and Wales, covering 2,218 square miles and a population of 2.42 million people. Its jurisdiction includes multiple towns, city centres and council areas across the three counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Setting a long-term vision for public space CCTV Public space CCTV is vital in deterring and detecting crime across the Thames Valley. However, significant pressure on local authority budgets has made it increasingly difficult for councils to provide public space CCTV. There was real jeopardy that financial constraints would result in unmaintained systems, with limited or no real-time monitoring. A fresh approach was needed, so the Thames Valley CCTV partnership between Genetec™ and Hanwha Vision was formed. The first major challenge was securing funding to overhaul several local authorities’ ageing systems, which were proving increasingly expensive to upgrade and maintain. The second was to manage the ongoing costs of staffing control rooms to ensure the long-term sustainability of monitored CCTV across the Thames Valley. Ambitious plans were devised to pool resources and replace many disparate systems with one police-owned system that could extend across multiple authorities. In effect, the aim was to transfer the ownership and monitoring of public space CCTV from local authorities to dedicated Thames Valley Police control rooms. It would be led by the Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matthew Barber, collaborating with any local authority who chose to participate. It was a feat that had never been attempted in the UK on this scale that held the potential to drive efficiencies and enhance CCTV provision in areas it might otherwise have deteriorated. “CCTV is an important part of community safety; benefitting police and local communities in helping to deter crime and antisocial behaviour, identify offenders and support prosecutions. Ongoing commitment and investment enables high quality, consistent and sustainable CCTV provision now and into the future”, explains Matthew Barber, PCC, Thames Valley. Centralisation creates area-wide visibility and control Several control rooms in the Thames Valley, such as Windsor & Maidenhead, had already implemented Genetec Security Center and were very happy with its operation. Furthermore, as an open platform video management system, it could minimise costs by supporting a phased unification or “takeover” of existing systems across the Thames Valley. Finally, its hybrid cloud architecture provided Thames Valley with maximal flexibility to leverage any combination of cloud or on-premises infrastructure according to Name Thames Valley Police Industries Public Safety Location Thames Valley, United Kingdom Products Genetec Security Center; Genetec Cloud Services; Federation Technology Partners Hanwha Vision Channel Partners CDS Systems what made sense for each application and location. This made it the obvious choice on which to standardise. Following a competitive tender, Thames Valley chose CDS Systems to implement its proposed solution. This would be built on Genetec Security Center and incorporate a range of multidirectional AI-enabled cameras from Hanwha Vision. A key driver in the decision was the high levels of commitment shown by all three parties to cybersecurity. Another was the recognition that the system design and technology selection could ensure a cost-effective implementation that could continue to evolve in line with the needs of its users. “We urgently needed to improve the quality of CCTV, enhance collaboration, and drive efficiencies for all partners. The respective capabilities and seamless integration between Genetec and Hanwha Vision technology was the optimal way of meeting Thames Valley’s requirements,” says Sam Thomas, CDS Systems. Phase one of the deployment involved CDS taking over an existing control room in Milton Keynes, replacing the legacy analogue infrastructure with a modern IP backbone. It then installed Genetec Security Center to establish one platform through which officers could smartly interact with all incoming video feeds. Legacy cameras were retained and reused to maximise the return on existing investment wherever possible. A second Genetec workstation was also set up inside Slough Police Station, allowing officers to rapidly review footage for improved community response. CDS then introduced Hanwha Vision’s AI-enabled multidirectional 4k cameras to improve CCTV coverage and quality in public spaces. Each of these cameras incorporates up to five cameras in one device for wide-area surveillance, which would previously have required several separate devices, simplifying installation and resulting in significantly less associated cabling and infrastructure. They also provide powerful AI analytics, including accurate object detection and classification, to enable forensic search and save operators’ time when responding to incidents. For example, identifying and establishing the movement of specific people or vehicles based on attributes such as vehicle type. Phase two will see four additional control rooms in Oxfordshire merged into a single hub inside Abingdon Police station, also built on Genetec Security Center. This and the control room in Milton Keynes will be interlinked, adding further resilience as each site will be able to act as a fallback for the other. At this point, there will be a dedicated team of eighteen staff responsible for monitoring CCTV and enhancing CCTV for all participating communities in the Thames Valley CCTV Partnership. “The CCTV Command Suite enabled by CDS, Genetec and Hanwha Vision has improved our workflows beyond recognition, enabling staff to quickly review and package evidence for frontline officers or more complex investigations. It has received several plaudits from officers for its ease of use,” says Jason Owen, CCTV Operations Manager, Thames Valley Police. “This collaboration between Thames Valley Police, Genetec, CDS Systems, and Hanwha Vision showcases the power of partnership in driving innovative, cost-effective solutions that improve public safety,” says John Boorman, Head of Product and Marketing at Hanwha Vision Europe. “Our AI-enabled cameras are designed to reduce false alarms and streamline operations, ensuring teams can focus on real incidents and drive efficiency across their monitoring.” Efficiency, at lower cost Pooling resources and transferring ownership to the police has brought about significant cost efficiencies for participating authorities, while also enhancing

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i-PRO Showcases Latest “Made in Japan” Innovations

At The Security Show (TSE), on stand 5/G55, i-PRO (formerly Panasonic Security), will showcase its brand new U-series range of AI-powered cameras for the first time in the UK. Designed and manufactured in Japan, the U-Series delivers the accuracy of AI-based object detection to entry-level security installations. Built on efficient edge-computing architecture, it offers advanced capabilities — including intrusion detection, loitering alerts, direction monitoring, speeding, and line-crossing detection — without compromising on performance or affordability. “After pioneering AI across our higher-end cameras, we’re excited to bring that same edge-based intelligence to the entry-level market,” said Gerard Figols, Chief Operating Officer at i-PRO. “Security organizations of any size can now benefit from AI-driven analytics.” U-series highlights include: AI Video Motion Detection (AI-VMD) Built-in audio recording Direct-to-cloud VSaaS support FIPS 140-3 Level 3 cybersecurity compliance The new lineup includes high-resolution imaging options — 2MP, 5MP, and 4K — in dome, box, and bullet formats, delivering enhanced clarity and precision. Built for flexibility, the U-series is an ideal fit for direct-to-cloud VSaaS deployments. With future firmware updates planned, these cameras will continue to evolve, adding new capabilities while maintaining a lightweight, efficient architecture. Adding AI to the U-Series cameras embodies i-PRO’s mission to democratize AI as a standard feature across all its camera lines, delivering real-time alarms, improving response times, strengthening data privacy and reducing bandwidth use. Active Guard Analytics At TSE, visitors will also be able to see the latest version of its award-winning Active Guard intelligent search application. Active Guard ensures that the wealth of metadata (98 unique characteristics from the X and S-series camera line-up) describing the unique attributes of humans and vehicles captured by i-PRO cameras are seamlessly delivered to popular Video Management Systems (VMS) from Milestone, Genetec, and others. This not only allows deep forensic search from edge-based AI analytics but also enables real-time notifications for operators of essential events that require attention. High Zoom Bullet and Corner Cameras Shown at TSE for the first time, the new High Zoom Bullet camera includes the longest IR illumination in its class (up to 250m) and unique automated functions that remove the burden from operators when focusing on unique objects of interest. For example, a High-Zoom bullet camera might initially show a wide-angle view of a street by default. When a vehicle is detected at an entrance, the camera can automatically zoom in and capture the license plate using Vaxtor ALPR analytics (pre-bundled with the camera). This type of automation requires no intervention by the operator, making it a perfect match for safe cities. Open Platform – Freedom of Choice The company’s open-platform approach ensures flexibility and scalability for the unique analytics requirements of every installation through the use of third-party tools.  Customers and integrators are never locked into a proprietary approach, and can choose the best analytics for the job from the best development partners like Vaxtor,  Noema and many more. Cybersecurity and Ethical AI Every i-PRO product is designed with cybersecurity and data integrity at its core. While many companies follow FIPS 140-2 standards, the new U-Series goes further, achieving FIPS 140-3 Level 3 compliance. Powered by an NXP EdgeLock secure element, these cameras meet the industry’s highest data security standards. Level 3 certification introduces stricter cryptographic protections, enhanced physical tamper resistance, and safeguards against key extraction and hardware attacks. With secure boot functionality, the U-Series offers robust defense against unauthorized access and cyber threats — even at the entry-level. Recently, the company also announced it is in the final stage of obtaining the ISO/IEC 42001 certification for its Artificial Intelligence (AI) management systems. Once completed, this certification will make i-PRO the first company in the physical security industry to reach this level of ethical AI governance, reinforcing its commitment to transparency, accountability, and security in AI deployment. Innovation Driven by Independence Since becoming independent from Panasonic, i-PRO has evolved into an agile, customer-first company, bringing to market over 250 new camera models in the last couple of years. “Our independence allows us to stay laser-focused on our customers,” said Jose Riolobos, EMEA President at i-PRO. “By combining more than 60 years of Japanese engineering expertise with a flexible, market-driven approach, we deliver high-end technology built for real-world needs.” To read more news and exclusives, see our latest issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: LinkedIn: Security Buyer Twitter (X): @SecurityBuyer Facebook: @Secbuyer Media Contact Rebecca Morpeth Spayne, Editor, Security Portfolio Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922 Email: editor@securitybuyer.com

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