Innovative electronic security and fire products manufacturer, Elmdene International Limited – a subsidiary of Potter Electric Signal, LLC – is celebrating after its unique Merlin MGD-S Graffiti Detector won the award in the ‘Intruder Alarm or Exterior Deterrent Product of the Year’ category in the prestigious IFSEC 2011 Security Industry Awards, held last Monday night at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel, to coincide with Britain’s largest security exhibition.
Elmdene believes that the intelligent Merlin MGD-S Graffiti Detector is the first product of its kind to be launched in the UK market. In practice, it detects the sound made by aerosol-propelled paints and, if connected to a local siren, the unit is able to sound an alarm, so offering a real deterrent to what can be a costly form of anti-social behaviour. It can also be integrated with remote CCTV and alarm monitoring solutions. Visitors to IFSEC 2011 were able to see the Merlin’s advanced capabilities for themselves as it was demonstrated throughout the show on Elmdene’s stand.
Typically, the compact – 120 x 80 x 50 mm, low visibility, Merlin MGD-S unit is wall-mounted with the range of detection tied in to the installed height. At 4.5 metres an individual unit can protect up to 7.5 metres over a 120 degree field of coverage below the sensor. When it comes to its advanced acoustic detection capabilities, the Merlin MGD-S uses phase lock technology to maximise reliability. It alarms only when a sound pattern associated with the use of aerosol spray paint is detected – typically in only 5-8 seconds. It also features tamper protection as standard, has a wide operational temperature range (-20 to 70 degrees C) maximising the range of potential applications. It is also straightforward to install with no manual detector configuration required.
Said Ian Moore, Managing Director, Elmdene International Limited:”We are delighted to have won an IFSEC Security Industry Award for the Merlin MGD-S Graffiti Detector, which has certainly helped to raise the profile of this innovative solution, and we believe that there is tremendous potential for the Merlin MGD-S Graffiti Detector to be deployed in a wide range of graffiti prone locations – from transport infrastructure to public buildings – to stem, what can be, prohibitively expensive attacks.
“To put this into context, the financial burden of graffiti to local government alone, across the UK, is estimated to be over £1 billion, not withstanding the negative impact on the wider community. There are, of course, other anti-graffiti measures available, such as special coatings for walls, but these are not foolproof and still require cleaning following an attack – which obviously has financial implications. The real answer to this perennial problem is to deploy an intelligent, cost effective, system like Merlin in hotspots to detect and stop graffiti attacks at the earliest possible stage before unsightly damage is done.”
Elmdene launched the wired version of the Merlin at IFSEC, which allows the unit to be integrated into remote alarm and CCTV monitoring solutions. A ‘standalone’ version is also to be rolled out shortly. This will deliver the flexibility for users to easily move the Graffiti Detector from one problem area to another.
A demonstration video focused on the Merlin MGD-S Graffiti Detector’s capabilities is available to view on YouTube at http://youtu.be/mAiOEOFfhl8
For more information on the Merlin MGD-S Graffiti Detector please Tel: 023 9269 6638, email: stop-graffiti@elmdene.co.uk or log on to www.elmdene.co.uk.
