The client:
Alton Towers is amongst the top five tourist attractions in the UK. Located in 500 acres of grounds in Staffordshire - it attracts on average 2.5million visitors per year, making it the most visited theme park in the UK and the 11th most visited in Europe. Honeywell Fusion DVRs have been installed at the Alton Towers Resort to enhance the security of employees and visitors.
The situation:
During the summer of 2008 the Resort recognised that the video surveillance system needed bringing up to date - principally the video recording platform was to be upgraded from VHS driven analogue multiplexers to modern data driven digital video technology.
The specialist security installer, Midlands Electrical Fire & Security (MEFS), was appointed to carry out the contract. MEFS are the official security and maintenance contractor for Alton Towers and are a leading installer in Staffordshire and Midlands.
Theme parks are regarded as high risk environments due to the size of the sites, the vast crowds, queues for the rides and the many retail outlets contained within them. An effective CCTV & video management system is essential to ensure the site and all its rides, catering / retail outlets and visitors are kept safe and secure.
The solution:
Richard McCredie, the Installation Manager at Midlands Electrical Fire & Security approached Martin McGrath of Honeywell Security, a manufacturer with a wide product range in the digital video recorder market.
At Alton Towers, there are many retail, food and gaming facilities for visitors and sadly every year, owing to the sheer volume of people that come to the Resort, there is a relatively high incidence of theft and attempted theft. Therefore the Resort's security team relies heavily on CCTV to capture the incidents on video which in turn helps them apprehend and deal with anti-social behaviour. Queue monitoring on rides is important to deter queue dodgers - particularly during peak season when visitors can be waiting for up to two hours for some of the more popular attractions like Air, Nemesis and Oblivion.
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| The Resort's security team relies heavily on CCTV to capture incidents on video |
The benefits
Since the Honeywell Fusion DVRs have been installed, Alton Towers has reported savings in time and resources. The security operators are now able to instantly review a recording of an incident and high resolution still photos can be produced. This helps security staff apprehend a suspected thief or vandal. The Raid storage units allow the team to store more footage over a longer period of time. The information is more easily accessible than using VHS tapes. Ultimately this helps police and courts if charges are pressed. The operation has become more effective and efficient all round.
