The last day of April 2013 was a historical date in the Netherlands. Following his mother’s abdication, Prince Willem-Alexander’s swearing-in as the new king means the country once again has a male monarch for the first time in 123 years. As a result, the program for the festivities on this Queen’s Day in Amsterdam was particularly comprehensive. However, this also posed a large challenge for Amsterdam’s police force, who had to monitor the large crowds expected around the castle on the Dam, as well as alongside the route of the celebrations. Another task, of course, was to shield the royal couple and the visitors from any attack. These concerns were justified not only because of the scale of the event, but also because of tragic incidents that occurred on Queen’s Day in the past.
For these reasons, Amsterdam’s police looked for a partner who was able to support them in terms of video surveillance as well as monitoring the streams of visitors. They decided on the Dutch company, Connection Systems, which specialises in the video surveillance of large-scale events and freely moving crowds. Connection Systems was founded in 2000 and has been utilising Bosch Security Systems solutions from the very beginning.
In order to reinforce the police’s own monitoring network, 75 additional Bosch Auto-Dome cameras were installed in Amsterdam. These were integrated within the existing security network, and positioned six meters above ground level. In addition, the cameras were connected to 35 UPS boxes that would have maintained operations in the event of a power blackout. The installation of the surveillance system took three weeks and was ready in time for all the rehearsals necessary prior to April 30. This was to ensure that all likely risks during the event were covered, and that the police would always be in full control of the situation.
Connection Systems decided to use Bosch cameras for two major reasons: their robust construction makes them easy to mount and dismount, and due to the permanent availability of Bosch’s technical support service. Frank Wagemans, Director at Connection Systems, pointed out after the ceremonies that not one event had failed in the company’s history when using this camera solution. Thus, everyone involved in the investiture on April 30 will remember the event as having been run perfectly.
