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FEATURE: SECURITY
Caught on
CAMERA
T
hanks to advancing technology, CCTV upgrades now
invariably mean the switchover from analogue to digital.
Centres in Telford and Rochdale have recently undergone
major security upgrades replacing VCR with digital systems,
while Cheshire’s Birchwood centre had digital technology
installed in late 2007. As far as recording equipment goes,
managers are being won over by digital benefi ts. But
there is still some debate over the current need for IP-
based cameras in mainstream security.
A £250,000 security upgrade at Rochdale Exchange
was carried out by Manchester-based company Leerose
Integrated Systems. The new digital equipment sends
live recordings back to a permanently-manned control
room. Centre manager Lorenzo O’Reilly is adamant that
better quality images and ef_f_i cient operations are part
and parcel of a digital system.
“The clarity of the recordings is generally better
and doesn’t deteriorate over time,” declares O’Reilly.
“We originally recorded onto tape, which was
problematic because it relied on staf_f swapping tapes
over at the end of each day. But the new system
records continually for 30 days, which is long enough
for us to capture anything important. Then it discards
the fi rst day of recording, so all risk of human error is
removed. Overall it’s a far simpler solution.”
It’s a similar story in Telford. Siemens, which
set up the original surveillance in Telford Shopping
Centre seven years ago, was called back to upgrade
the recording system from analogue to digital.
Glynn Morrow, business manager at Telford, wanted
the centre’s security to take advantage of modern
technology. “Shopping centres especially are all moving
to digital CCTV recording because of better clarity and
the amount of back-up storage, which you can alter
depending on how long you need to keep the footage,” he
Centres can barely fi nish installing
says.
new security systems before newer,
Both O’Reilly and Morrow agree that a major advantage
of digitalisation is high-quality images. If centres are able to
more advanced technology becomes
easily identify and prosecute criminals, this will save them
money and lower future crime levels. However, the relatively
available. So how are managers deciding
recent uptake of digital CCTV technology makes it harder to fi nd
which systems to use, and what are
examples of digital systems working to a centre’s advantage. So is
there any real evidence? their plans for the future?
SHOPPING CENTRE OCTOBER 2009 www.shopping-centre.co.uk
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