Redvision has played an important part in the protection of Bournemouth and Poole FE College, which has recently received a £12 million investment for upgrade and modernisation of its campuses. The project included constructing brand new buildings to house a Digital Media Centre, a Performing Arts Centre, and new science laboratories, as well as upgrading and renovating existing buildings across both college sites. The campuses are used by a combined student population of over 10,000, so are extremely busy throughout the academic year. The project also included adding innovative new roof panels to generate solar electricity for the college, supporting the local authority’s commitment to improved sustainability.
X-SERIES PTZ dome cameras
Secure Alarms Ltd, established in 1979, is responsible for installing and maintaining the college’s security systems. Secure Alarms selected Redvision, the UK manufacturer of the X-SERIES rugged PTZ dome cameras and Redcop rapid deployment systems, to supply all external PTZ cameras. Rob Cutler, Director at Secure Alarms, commented, “We rate Redvision very highly. The technical support offered, as a manufacturer, is second to none. They have expertise on all their products and know what items best suit our requirements and those of the college. The cameras are extremely energy efficient, with a low cost of ownership, so meet the local authority’s green responsibilities.”
“Since both college sites are near the coast, each of the cameras also has a standard marine finish to resist corrosion and increase longevity” |
The newly-overhauled college site at Poole has 39 indoor cameras and 16 outdoor cameras, 8 of which are Redvision PTZ’s. The Bournemouth site has 29 indoor and 25 outdoor cameras, 5 of which are Redvision’s. Most of the indoor cameras are IP and from Dahua. These were positioned to monitor corridors, hallways, and other busy public areas within the college. Secure Alarms used analogue cameras outdoors, to take advantage of existing coaxial cabling infrastructures, which were re-used to keep costs down and building alterations to a minimum. The outdoor Redvision cameras were the X-SERIES, RVX18, rugged PTZ dome cameras, with smart infra-red night-vision to 120m for 24/7 security surveillance. They were also mounted using customised, extended corner brackets, for optimal site coverage from each camera location.
RAL Colour Service
Rob Cutler added, “We have always been impressed by Redvision’s excellent customer service. We realised that the standard connection leads were not long enough to reach the outdoor cameras in our customised brackets. Redvision solved this issue with longer leads, which they delivered within 2 working days, allowing us to get on with the installation efficiently and effectively. In addition, the company also helped us with pre-sales demonstrations and support when we were initially specifying the system.”
Revision offers a bespoke RAL colour service on all its cameras and Bournemouth and Poole College used this to great effect. The college has a very strong branding and colour scheme, in blue and grey, which is reflected across the college buildings. Redvision matched the colours precisely, supplying both blue and grey rugged PTZs and brackets. The result is that the cameras blend into the aesthetics of each building, making them less obtrusive. The blue PTZ cameras have affectionately been nick-named Smurf-cam by college staff.
Superior image quality
Dermot Grace, MD of Redvision, commented, “Our bespoke, RAL colour service is very popular and has been used in a wide range of applications, from historical buildings and town centres, through to outdoor sports facilities like Tottenham Hotspur FC training academy. In this application, we have been able to support the branding and image of the newly refurbished college sites. Since both college sites are near the coast, each of the cameras also has a standard marine finish to resist corrosion and increase longevity.”
The CCTV systems are monitored from a college operations room at each campus and Smurf cam is proving popular with operators. The Redvision PTZ cameras offer superior image quality and highly responsive operation. They are being used to ensure site security and boundary management, as well as assist with Health and Safety. They have already prevented a high-profile arson attack, securing a conviction, and helped to reduce bike theft and vandalism. They are regularly used in site management, preventing illegal car parking, and maintaining clear road access for site safety purposes.
