Residential

Video upgrade cuts crime and improves neighbourhood environment for London residents

  • IndustryResidential
  • CustomerMeridian South Developments
  • RegionUK
  • IDIS PartnersHall & Kay Security

Background

Mixed-use development relies on video for 24-hour maintenance service

The Meridian South estate in the heart of Hither Green, south London, is a mixed-use development including over 440 owner-occupied and rented homes, as well as neighbourhood amenities, communal spaces, parking areas and shops.


The 4.6-hectare site comprises ten main blocks, ranging between three and six storeys high, and is managed day-to-day by a 24-hour maintenance and security team.


The video surveillance system used to monitor the development was based on outdated analogue technology which required a complete upgrade within a tight budget.

Challenges

Problems escalating due to outdate video tech

Although Meridian South is a safe and pleasant neighbourhood for most of the time, to maintain this high standard of living, managers needed to tackle a growing problem with petty crime and anti-social behaviour. Issues were occurring with increasing frequency, included rubbish being dumped by short-term tenants vacating their apartments, theft from mailboxes, vandalism, and car crime. Rubbish removal alone was costing the management company more than £12,000 per year.
The estate’s ageing video system, which produced grainy, unreliable images, was of little value in deterring or identifying offenders. In fact, the system was actually making things worse and residents were concerned that their privacy was being infringed whenever cameras panned towards their apartments.
The Hall & Kay team was asked to solve this problem and they chose an advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS.

 

Solution

Unobtrusive and easy to use IDIS technology reduces crime and increases safety

cameras. IDIS technicians along with Hall & Kay engineers visited the site and conducted a bandwidth test on the existing cabling – demonstrating that, by using the existing coax with IDIS ethernet converters, up to four IDIS fixed bullet cameras could be cost-effectively mounted on each existing column. Additionally, wireless access points were installed where cameras could not be cabled directly to the estate control room. This approach eliminated blind-spots and guaranteed that events would not be missed when the system was unmanned. The use of sleeker and more compact IDIS cameras has eased residents’ concerns that they were being tracked around the estate or that operators could zoom-in on their property windows.


To provide wider coverage, a further six columns were added, and additional IDIS cameras were mounted on building exteriors.


The system delivers full HD images in all lighting conditions, with built-in IR ensuring night-time image capture at distances up to 30m. All footage is stored for 30 days. The security officers and maintenance staff who watch over the estate are also taking advantage of the easy-to-use analytics functions that come with the totally cost-free IDIS Center video management software (VMS). These tools include motion detection which can be utilised out of hours to ensures that scenes are only recorded when movement occurs, thus minimising bandwidth usage and storage requirements. This feature, along with IDIS MapVue navigation, also makes it easier to quickly review footage to find incidents of interest.


All 57 IDIS full HD IR cameras, and the three NVRs with 12TB storage each, benefit from true plug-and-play set up with DirectIP, which allowed the Hall & Kay team to complete their work ahead of schedule. There was only one delay: when the South Meridian residents saw the quality of images now being captured, they asked if the system could be immediately scaled-up! With IDIS’s flexible approach this was quick and easy to do.

Results and Benefits

Resident satisfaction rises with immediate results

The transformed video infrastructure at Meridian South Development, Hither Green has delivered immediate results with improved detection, evidence capture and deterrence.

Within 24 hours of cameras being installed, departing tenants were recorded illegally dumping rubbish. Shortly after this, a contractor working at the site reported that tools had been stolen – in both cases, high definition evidence of the crime was captured and passed to the police. In fact, thanks to the design of the system, and the easy-to-use VMS controls, security staff were able to retrieve footage of the incident itself, along with a full video trail of the thief moving across the estate before and afterwards. This really proved there are no blind-spots.


Word has now spread about how effective the new monitoring system is, and residents are delighted by their more attractive, welcoming, and secure environment.

"The support we had from IDIS was second to none and the technology works exactly as promised. We are now looking at many more IDIS projects with the same customer and others."


Wayne Wharton

Security Sales Manager, H&K Security