Car dealer is spending 70K on security guards

Cost savings. Are they realistic?

We have talked about integrating various systems together without actually giving any real examples so below is one that integrated CCTV came across late last year and the solutions we provided.

The scenario

A large car dealer is currently spending nearly £70k per annum on a manned security guard to look after their site 365 days a year. Although the guarding company is doing a fairly good job, a risk assessment has proved that in the case of a break- in the chance of him being in the right place at the right time is slim. Therefore the company in question has concluded that it needs to source a far more cost effective method to secure the site.

Where can the cables go?

The site is 30,000 square meters and has no real secure fencing, anyone can enter the site at will and they have millions of pounds worth of stock on show. Due to the lack of fencing there are no real cable routes and also no fixing points for sensors on the perimeter and the whole site is block paved and this leaves no opportunity to trench or put up many poles.

The solution… Integrated security!

We concluded that a radical solution was required. One that used cutting edge technology together with an effective visual and audible deterrent, We also need to effect a manned response to a genuine alarm situation but not scare off any genuine customers viewing cars up to a certain time in the evening.

To add to our problems as mentioned before there was very limited scope to fix poles and run cables so sensors and fixed beams had to be ruled out. There was only one realistic answer left and this was to use analytics to generate alarms.

Light levels

The light levels were good and we decided to recommend a mixture of IP, wireless and traditional analogue cameras together with analytics to get the ultimate system and bring it in within budget.

The cameras on the building are wired in a traditional way, coax back to a standard codec to produce the analytics, then onto a hybrid DVR that was connected via broadband to a remote monitoring station. The IP cameras on the perimeter are to be  fixed  onto just two poles and linked via a wireless IP transmitter back to the hybrid dvr.

Controlling alarms

Sitting in between this was a control panel used to process alarms, generate on site verbal deterrent and sounders designed to remove unauthorised intruders. If this failed then the system was designed to call out the manned response but only as a final measure again helping to keep on going costs to a minimum.

Analytics

The use of analytics to generate the alarms however was the key to this working. Only in very recent times have we been able to use them effectively outside and in limited lighting conditions. This type of alarm generation will soon supersede traditional sensor technology and can only get better and better as large cooperation’s begin to invest heavily in analytics.

Conclusion

In conclusion the recommendations mean the car dealer now has the opportunity to lower security costs and will start to see savings filter through after 18 months or so. He has a system that is future proofed for at least the next 5 years and beyond. He has eyes all over the site 24/7/365 and as well as better security he has also got a sales tool and a health and safety watchdog as well as a deterrent system. Quite a few benefits for a great deal less money.