Facewatch, the online crime reporting system for small businesses and retailers, has gained a major endorsement from the National Federation of Retail Newsagents.
Facewatch gains national endorsement from retail newsagents organisation NFRN Read More »
New results from detailed analysis into the expected return on investment for the Facewatch crime reporting system has been completed and was presented this week to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Crime Conference. Based on a typical UK national chain store, using a prudent assumption of just 10% reduction in store theft, as a result of using Facewatch, the net savings could be equivalent to £100m of turnover or opening seven new stores or 400 full time employees. Facewatch enables police to work more closely within the business community and to demonstrate greater success in solving crimes. In light of the August riots this has become a key priority for all police forces and business. By instantly providing the full CCTV evidential package and approved witness statement online, Facewatch is enabling retailers, businesses and the police to form a genuine partnership on a national basis for the first time ever. In 2010, £1.1 billion worth of goods were stolen from UK retailers according to the BRC. The under-reporting of customer theft could be as high as 100,000 offences per annum, BRC figures show. UK shrinkage represents an estimated 1.3% of retail sales. “[In 2010]..crime put an extra £180 on the average British family’s annual shopping bill”, said Professor Joshua Bamfield, Director of the Centre for Retail Research. According to the BRC businesses currently invest £210 million each year to fight crimes which Facewatch could help to prevent. Indeed shrinkage has become such a widespread issue that Mike Weatherley MP has recently set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Retail and Business Crime. Yesterday, Simon Gordon, Chairman and Founder of Facewatch, told the British Retail Consortium’s Retail Crime Conference in London, “Having worked as a chartered accountant and finance director in business I can immediately recognise the huge financial benefit Facewatch can, and indeed already does, provide for businesses.” Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville said, “It is vital that businesses and police work in partnership to ensure that CCTV results in persistent offenders being brought to justice. If businesses can quickly provide clear images of suspects from their CCTV system, rather than just providing a disc with hours of footage, police time can be better spent on identifying and arresting the criminals. It will also ensure that offenders know that CCTV produce results and prevent more crime in the long term.” Nicholas Fox, KPMG Partner, Home Affairs said, “KPMG have been closely following the progress of Facewatch and are impressed by what they have seen. The innovative collaboration with the police has the potential to provide real value and benefits to businesses, police forces and victims of crime” Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor, Policing and London Assembly Member has said, “We have to pull together to beat criminals and Facewatch is a brilliant way to form business and the police into a crime fighting team. I not only support Facewatch but urge businesses to get involved and install the system”. Simon Gordon, Chairman and Founder of Facewatch Simon Gordon, a Chartered accountant who was formerly Finance Director of Skandia Life, Royal Trust Fund management and is the owner of one of London’s busiest and best-known wine bars; Gordon’s. As a result on ongoing theft of customers’ belongings Simon founded the Facewatch software. Since its launch last November, Facewatch has been trialled in the Victoria Business Improvement District (BID) in central London. Other high street names including Sainsbury’s, Pret A Manger and Hamleys have also trialled the system. This pilot phase has proved immensely successful and following a launch event in September with James Brokenshire MP, Home Office Minister for Crime and Security, Facewatch is now being rolled out across the UK. Contact www.facewatch.co.uk
Facewatch crime reporting system could save UK retailers millions of pounds Read More »
Enhanced video business intelligence solution features real-time metrics and advanced, user-friendly dashboards Verint® Systems Inc. has announced the launch of key enhancements to its Nextiva® Video Business Intelligence™ (VBI) solution, part of the Nextiva IP Video portfolio from Verint Video Intelligence Solutions™. Designed to help forward-thinking retail organisations capture and analyze shopper movement patterns to increase conversion rates and improve operational efficiency, Nextiva VBI ™ includes such additional functions as Nextiva Retail Traffic Analytics™, Nextiva People Counting™ and Nextiva Queue Management™, along with the ability to integrate with such existing business systems as POS, EAS and RFID. Verint’s Nextiva VBI leverages video extracted from existing surveillance cameras to provide accurate and holistic data about customer behaviour patterns. Key enhancements to the solution include real-time metrics and advanced, user-friendly dashboards that can drive further enhanced business value in retail environments. Store Performance Management Nextiva VBI counts people with an accuracy rate that can be greater than 95 percent, even under varying light and heavy traffic conditions, a substantial improvement over traditional technologies. In combination with POS data, Nextiva VBI’s store performance management capabilities provide in-store department managers, store managers, regional managers and corporate management with reliable metrics to benchmark store performance, including identifying trends. Retail organizations can use shopper conversion rates from Nextiva VBI to compensate and incentivize their sales staff, cultivating a customer-centric culture. Workforce Management Nextiva VBI captures and analyzes shopper traffic movements and patterns to help store managers make better staffing and scheduling decisions. Advanced, user-friendly dashboards provide real-time reports on actual and predicted queue lengths and wait times. With this insight, retail organizations can schedule staff according to actual customer volumes, enabling better customer service and experiences, and higher margins. Marketing and Merchandising Nextiva VBI captures in-store customer behavior to help measure the success rate of marketing and advertising promotions. Armed with this insight, retailers can make better, more informed decisions to enhance such aspects as store layout, product placement and promotional displays. Customer Experience Management Nextiva VBI’s easy-to-use interface enables retailers to quickly search for pertinent data, such as when customers frequent a store the most, how long they dwell in specific areas and what they experience in terms of typical wait time in lines. With this insight, retail organizations can reduce their reliance on soft data by replacing it with real-world information that can be used to improve the customer experience. “Our recent enhancements to the Nextiva Video Business Intelligence solution leverage the power of video analytics to provide retail organizations with simple, relevant and actionable business metrics that are otherwise hard to obtain real data on,” says Debjit Das, vice president of global marketing, Verint Video Intelligence Solutions. “We are pleased to introduce enhancements to our VBI solution that will enable our customers to harness their video infrastructures to gain maximum business value and Actionable Intelligence®.” To learn more about the Nextiva Video Business Intelligence solution and the complete Nextiva IP Video portfolio visit www.verint.com/videosolutions. About Verint Video Intelligence Solutions Verint® Video Intelligence Solutions™ is the leading global provider of networked video solutions designed to enhance the security of people, property and assets. Its award-winning Nextiva® portfolio features IP video and physical security information management software, integrated analytics, encoders, cameras, wireless devices and intelligent NVRs for use across a variety of vertical market environments. Open, standards-based and IT friendly, Verint solutions help organizations realize the benefits of IP video leveraging their legacy video investments. About Verint Systems Inc. Verint® Systems Inc. is a global leader in Actionable Intelligence® solutions and value-added services. Our solutions enable organizations of all sizes to make timely and effective decisions to improve enterprise performance and make the world a safer place. More than 10,000 organizations in over 150 countries-including over 85 percent of the Fortune 100-use Verint solutions to capture, distill, and analyze complex and underused information sources, such as voice, video and unstructured text. Headquartered in Melville, New York, we support our customers around the globe directly and with an extensive network of selling and support partners. Verint is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol “VRNT.” Visit us at our website www.verint.com.
Politicians and police have turned to CCTV and police photography, claiming they will identify rioters. Realistic or not? Tell us what you think.
Opinion: Security failures left retailers high and dry during August riots Read More »
The British Retail Consortium has issued a snapshot survey of its members to ascertain the extent of damage to its stores following rioting and looting across the UK.
The extent of damage to the retail industry from London riots assessed by BRC Read More »
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is the primary commercial airport for the New Orleans metropolitan area and southeast Louisiana. Spanning more than 1900 acres, with four concourses and two terminals, the Airport serves about 8 million passengers per year. Passenger safety and security are paramount. The focal point for that mission is the Airport’s new Security and Emergency Operations Center, headed by John M Lyon, Telecommunications Manager for the Airport. Dispatchers at the Security Operations Center are responsible for handling everything from airport switchboard calls to every feasible emergency situation, including aircraft alerts, security breaches, fire alarms and EMS calls. Check out the video below to see how the Airport is streamlining incident handling and improving operations through its innovative use of Situation Management. Click here for the video
Video case study: Innovative use of Situation Management technology at Airport Read More »
The developer of Westfield Stratford City – the shopping centre and office development situated at the gateway to London’s Olympic Park – has chosen Chubb to deliver fire and security systems. It is probably one of the largest and most prestigious security contracts to be put on the table recently and it was won by Chubb and its parent company, UTC Fire & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. Chubb drew on the capabilities of the entire UTC Fire & Security group to successfully secure contracts that will include over 1000 alarm points, 300 access control readers, 750 IP video cameras together with sprinkler systems. The security project is led by Chubb, with the support of UTC Fire & Security company Lenel, experts in access control and integrated security solutions. Hall & Kay, also part of UTC Fire & Security, will provide fire fighting equipment and sprinkler systems. Otis Elevator Company, another United Technologies unit, has also secured a significant contract for the centre. Westfield Stratford City and London’s Olympic Park together span 700 acres and account for one of the largest urban regeneration projects ever undertaken in the UK. Housing more than 300 retail units and covering over 1.9 million square feet of retail and leisure space, Westfield Stratford City will also include multiple mixed-use facilities including a cinema, hotels, offices and homes. The UTC Fire & Security businesses leveraged existing customer relationships as part of its 2012 Olympic Project strategy to secure the contract, says Paul Winnowski, President of UTC Fire & Security’s United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa (UKISA) business: “It is the combination of expertise that gives Chubb its strength,” he says. “We have a unique value proposition that we can bring to the table and are creating a cross business unit collaboration blueprint for the future – a new template where the sum of our strengths enables us to demonstrate commercial and operational advantages that have broad appeal, especially for major customers such as Westfield.”
Chubb chosen to supply CCTV and other security technology to Olympic retail centre Read More »
Siemens has built a strong working relationship with DONG Energy, Denmark’s largest power generator. Having successfully delivered a number of diverse projects for the company, the most recent has seen Siemens work with DONG to establish one common access control system across all of the company’s 85 sites throughout Denmark. Producing more than 50% of Denmark’s power and approximately 40% of its heat, DONG is one of the leading energy companies in Northern Europe. Its business is based on producing, distributing and selling energy and energy-related products through traditional power plants and wind farms, not only in Denmark but also in the UK, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Poland and France, as well as through hydro-electric plants in Sweden. The publicly owned company today employs around 6,000 personnel mostly working at its Danish sites. DONG believes that maintaining a good working environment and a high level of safety for employees and suppliers is a prerequisite for operating a healthy and efficient business. This corporate responsibility being an integral part of its values and vision, the company requires all staff to undergo a safety and security certification course for each of its sites at which they work or visit. This attitude was the major driving force behind a move to improve the access control systems deployed at the 85 sites in its homeland, though the initiative also addressed recommendations made by the Danish authorities that regularly monitor security and safety at Denmark’s critical infrastructure facilities. As a result, DONG Energy determined to establish a common access control system across all of its sites in Denmark to increase the security level and to ensure easy access for all employees to centralized and decentralized power plants, city stations and office buildings alike. DONG placed the order with Siemens for the new, multi-site, access control system specified by its own Facility Management team. The contract was duly completed on schedule and all DONG Energy employees are now able to use the same card to access all sites anywhere in the country. The project included not only implementation of new systems and the replacement of old, third-party systems, but also the facility to interface with DONG’s System Application & Products (SAP) system for exporting human resources data. (SAP creates a common centralized database for all the applications running in an organization: financial, personnel, production operations and materials, plants, and archived documents.) Siemens developed two applications specifically for DONG Energy to provide the system with ‘Present/Not Present’ and ‘Muster Station’ functionality. The ‘Present/Not Present’ feature was developed to save time during day-to-day operations by enabling key personnel to be located quickly and efficiently whenever intervention or specific actions are required. The ‘Muster Station’ capability is part of the evacuation application also specially developed by Siemens. Dedicated readers are installed on pillars at key assembly points – or muster stations – where employees and visitors present their cards to confirm they have safely evacuated in case of emergency. Emergency response teams (fire brigade, police etc.) can then use the system to print a list of all members of staff that are still on site. This is, of course, vital in optimizing the rescue/intervention process. The new Siemens access control system provides freedom of movement for thousands of employees in a secure environment at numerous locations scattered throughout Denmark. It is flexible, scalable and easy to use and in its entirety comprises: 6,000 contactless smart cards and proximity cards, 79 door controllers, 617 readers or proximity coupling devices, and four printers. The system is also installed in smaller substations and office buildings throughout Denmark and has the capability for future expansion into other international locations. The advanced central controllers of the access control system play a crucial role, as they are the interface between the integrated software and the field-level devices (reader interface modules, input-point modules, and output-point modules). Two types of controllers are installed, which work in tandem on the same site. Communication between all the controllers in the system takes place peer-to-peer, independent of the server. So if connection to the server should be interrupted, operation of the system is unaffected. Following the successful implementation of the access control system, Siemens was also awarded the service contract for three years. DONG Energy is aiming to be a major international supplier to the whole of Northern Europe. The company has approximately 70 current licences for research of oil and gas and is undertaking drilling activities in the Danish and Norwegian part of the North Sea. With over 20 years’ experience, it is also the current market-leader in offshore wind-power, having built more wind farms than any other company in the world, most of which are based in North West Europe. The company has a history of working with Siemens – itself a leading player in the offshore wind industry – on various innovative projects. In 1991 the two collaborated on the construction of the world’s first offshore wind-farm at Vindeby in Denmark and have since cooperated on many offshore projects including Middelgrunden near Copenhagen, Nysted and Horns Rev 2 also in Denmark and Burbo Bank and Gunfleet Sands in the UK. About The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the worldwide leading supplier of environmentally friendly production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. With integrated automation technologies and comprehensive industry-specific solutions, Siemens increases the productivity, efficiency and flexibility of its customers in the fields of industry and infrastructure. The Sector consists of six divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility und Osram. With around 204,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry achieved in fiscal year 2010 total sales of approximately €34.9 billion. www.siemens.com/industry The Siemens Building Technologies Division (Zug, Switzerland) is the world’s leading provider of safe, secure and energy efficient solutions for buildings („Green Buildings“) and building infrastructure. As a service provider, system integrator and product supplier Building Technologies offers building automation, HVAC, fire safety, security, low voltage power distribution and electrical installation technology. With around 42,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Building Technologies achieved
A recent upgrade of the CCTV system at one of the City of London’s landmark buildings, Citypoint, provides an excellent example of why it is so important to have a scheduled maintenance programme for a CCTV system. One of only seven office towers in the City, the iconic Citypoint building, which was originally built for British Petroleum (now BP) in 1967, comprises 65,642²m offices spread over 34 floors, with basement parking and shops, restaurants and a fitness centre at ground floor level. When CB Richard Ellis was appointed to manage the building by the US based owners, it was discovered that the existing CCTV system had not been properly maintained for some time. “We very quickly established that there wasn’t a plan in place to ensure that the 150 cameras were checked on a regular basis to ensure that that they were working satisfactorily” said Lee Murray, Building Manager for the Management Services division of CB Richard Ellis. “Our audit confirmed that very few of the cameras were operating properly, although in most cases the camera lens just needed cleaning or refocusing.” Even more bad news was discovered when Lee and his colleagues took a look at the building’s video recording system. Apart from the fact that anything which had been recorded was in the main unusable from an evidence point of view because of the poor quality images captured by the cameras, the recording system also did not have sufficient capacity to simultaneously record images from all of the cameras at the same time. “The recording system from Wavestore clearly had the potential to do everything we needed it to do, but like the cameras, it had not been properly maintained or upgraded to reflect the number of cameras which had been installed in and around Citypoint,” said Lee. CB Richard Ellis commissioned Global Fire and Security Systems Ltd to carry out a complete overhaul of the CCTV system. “It was in fact a relatively simple process to improve the CCTV system so that it was fit for purpose,” said Steve Shillingford, Northern Operations Manager. “Simultaneously to testing and servicing each of the 150 cameras, we worked closely with Wavestore to ensure that its recording system was upgraded to have adequate capacity for the number of cameras and that the very latest version of the Wavestore software was installed.” The functionality of the upgraded Wavestore recording system also enabled CB Richard Ellis to build a stand-by ‘Crisis Management’ room where the CCTV system could be monitored and controlled should the building’s main control room become inoperative for any reason. As a result of Global Fire and Security Systems and Wavestore’s efforts, Lee Murray feels that Citypoint now has a CCTV system which his security colleagues can use to identify any suspicious activity, initiate an appropriate response and record high quality video of the evidence for post incident investigation. “We have been fortunate that there have not been any major incidents but we are of course always aware of the need to ensure the safety and security of everyone who works at City Point,” said Lee. Although, fortunately no major emergencies have occurred, in recent months there have been several instances where the CCTV system has done its job. In the first instance, video was provided to the police which led to the successful prosecution of a drunk who had caused considerable damage to the Citypoint fire doors, and in the second instance the claim of a person who was threatening to sue because they had tripped up whilst in our basement car park was disproved as a result of the recorded high quality images. CB Richard Ellis takes great pride in the processes in place to ensure health & safety compliance at Citypoint and it was therefore extremely valuable to be able to use the CCTV recording of the supposed incident to disprove the claim and avoid the need to pay compensation. “In a tough economic climate it may be that some companies will be reluctant to enter into a service agreement for their CCTV systems,” said Steve Shillingford. “The poor condition that the system at Citypoint was in before CB Richard Ellis’ involvement however, underscores the need for CCTV systems to be regularly audited and maintained.” About Wavestore’s wide range of digital video recording systems, operate on an open platform and are able to simultaneously record and display high quality images from combinations of analogue, network (IP and megapixel), HD, HDcctv, 360 degree and infra-red cameras. Utilising the Linux operating system, Wavestore’s DVRs, NVRs and HVRs are rugged, reliable and straightforward to install, configure and operate. Wavestore systems are also easily expandable and upgradable as and when a client’s requirements change, whilst Wavestore’s powerful SDK enables integrated security solutions to be developed efficiently. Wavestore works closely with third party technology partners to provide video analytics, motion detection, license plate recognition, abandoned object and intruder detection, people counting, perimeter security detection and traffic monitoring solutions. Wavestore has provided solutions for countless demanding projects, including ports and airports, transportation, councils, hospitals, hotels, schools, property, police and homeland security applications. Contact www.wavestore.com
Case Study: The importance of maintaining CCTV systems Read More »
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