SouthGate Shopping Centre is an outdoor destination/retail park area located in central Bath. Opened in 2009 it boasts 96 shops, restaurants and large underground carparks. As an extensive space, it is essential that the CCTV equipment is up to date and effective to reassure staff and shoppers of their safety.
The Centre was struggling with seven year-old, out-dated CCTV equipment; 30 cameras were faulty and had recording issues on DVR, others were obsolete and the maintenance of the old system became a major expense. The analogue cameras underperformed and the solution was neither upgradeable nor scalable. There was an urgent need for new and high quality equipment.
Hikvision IP cameras were installed by BWS Standfast Fire and Security. The company planned every aspect so that the shoppers were not disturbed during the implementation process, which took place during opening hours. It took one month to install 150 cameras and systems.
The project included the installation of dome cameras to help the security team to see HD images from various angles, which is essential for busy open spaces. The infrared LED night vision means the camera can reportedly see up to 30 metres in total darkness for clarity of recorded images.
The PTZ cameras fitted enable the security team to see everything from all angles and an NVR stores data and makes information available to view easily by security staff, which was previously an issue with the old equipment. The video management software provides real-time live view, video recording, remote search and playback and file backup to meet the needs of the monitoring team. The convenience and usability of this software helps SouthGate keep the centre secure at all times.
When asked what is the biggest difference the new system has made to the centre Peter Parkinson, SouthGate’s deputy general manager says: “Knowing that all of the cameras are fully working, reliable and provide high quality images and video is a huge reassurance. Security is of the utmost importance, so I am pleased I do not have to worry about the new system.”
