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24-hour guard for construction sites

By its very nature, the construction industry has always been particularly susceptible to incidents of vandalism and theft. An unoccupied building site, complete with a range of valuable materials, proves a tempting proposition for intruders. Most construction companies use a night-time security guard in an attempt to protect their assets. But this is not consistently reliable as incidents cannot always be adequately controlled – and it can be very costly.

Group 2, a security services company in Hythe, Kent, realised there is a better alternative for the construction industry. The company therefore, launched an innovative solution, Robowatch, which does everything a security guard is expected to do, but more effectively and usually at less than half of the cost.

The novel Robowatch concept is a remote monitored CCTV solution developed specifically for the construction industry. Group 2 supply, install, maintain and monitor a complete CCTV system on site, protecting all areas of concern. At the end of the contracted term - typically anything from three months to three years - Group 2 removes the system.

A reliable solution

"We select and purchase all equipment and we do not charge for installation - our costs are based on monitoring," explains Group 2 managing director, Mike Lake. "Experienced controllers watch the site all night and are proactive as necessary."

The set-up uses Adpro FastTrace, Vision Systems' multisite video security system, together with Adpro Video Central, the video and alarm management software. "We consider Adpro the security guard. We purchase the FastTrace products and build them into single enclosures, complete with the power supply and audio unit," Lake explains.

Adpro FastTrace's built-in video transmission provides a fully integrated one-box solution with very fast remote access to high-quality digitally recorded video evidence. Operators can dial up remotely to view sites, examine images, download information or investigate previously recorded events from the stored video. It is also possible for customers to view their sites remotely, from their own computers.

Should sensors detect any movement, Group 2 controllers can view live images of the intruders and speak to them via the Adpro FastTrace audio link to warn them they are being watched. Assistance - keyholders, the police or response services - can then be sought if necessary.

"Adpro FastTrace is fully reliable and there is no product on the market that is as good," says Mike. "We are contracted to monitor during the night-time period, but with Adpro FastTrace our clients get 24/7 recording for the same price. Recently, a client asked us to retrieve footage of an employee accident onsite. We reviewed the tape and the client could see exactly what had happened."

Seen, heard and recorded

The effectiveness of Group 2's Robowatch system can be assessed by its results. The controllers have detected numerous intruders and there is an average of one arrest per site contract.

In one instance at Abbey Homes in Kent, two intruders were caught on site attempting to steal building materials. Both were arrested. In another case at Beazer Homes in Wales, an intruder trying to break into the site offices fled empty handed following an audio warning from Group 2's controllers. His details were passed on to local police. And outside a site at Ballist Construction, Crowborough, a shooting incident occurred. All those involved were immediately arrested.

"Our clients are always very complimentary of the system and make many requests for further systems. Often we start protecting one site, but within months we are protecting several," says Lake. "These organisations are not only making significant cost savings, but they are also delighted with the product and service.

"As we recognise that Adpro FastTrace is a very important part of our success, I would not consider using any competitor products. I want something I can rely on, and Adpro has never let us down. We also get excellent back-up and support services from Vision Systems."

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