Axis IP-Surveillance equipment cuts ‘drive offs' and thefts at Hindmarch & Co Garage by more than £15,000 per year
Hindmarch & Co had invested in a traditional analogue-based CCTV system in 1994 but found the images it recorded were not of sufficient quality to make number plate and facial recognition possible. Although crimes were recorded in progress, the garage was never able to help the police secure convictions using these images.
The Solution
Hindmarch & Co called in Control Z Computers to look at providing a higher quality, network-based surveillance system in May 2003. Control Z Computers gained approval on a proposal to install a total of eight Axis network cameras within the main site. Plans were drawn up for a further five cameras in the body shop across two key sites, using the VPN link to pass video images back to the PC, set up in a locked security office in the administration office, in the garage. Control Z Computers installed the Milestone XProtect system on this PC for viewing, storage, retrieval, and recording and automated disposal of video data.
The Result
Hindmarch's management has been very pleased with the results achieved since the new IP-based surveillance system has been installed. It paid for itself in monetary terms within just eight months of going live. It has also provided other soft benefits including higher morale amongst staff as the number of crime incidents fell away. The success of this project could very easily be translated into any other retail outlets where expensive stock is stored and sold on site.
"Given the amount of losses that we were sustaining before this system went in, the system installed at this site has paid for itself in less than a year, a significant achievement given the nationwide backdrop of rising crime figures." Mike Hindmarch Managing Director of Hindmarch & Co.