Systems integrator Optilan Communication Systems has been awarded a three-year open framework contract by Thames Valley Police.
The contract covers the supply, installation, commissioning of fixed and mobile vehicle number plate recognition (ANPR) systems throughout the Thames Valley Region. Optilan will provide turnkey systems incorporating ANPR equipment from Appian Plc based in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire.
Philip Ambrose of Thames Valley Police says: “Optilan’s proposals showed the technical excellence we were looking for, backed by the Field Engineering capacity to deliver simultaneously too many different sites. We visited the company, and we were impressed.”
The contract covers installation, commissioning and test. The company says that its ‘total solutions’ approach covers everything from transmission systems and telecoms infrastructure to camera build and pole mounting for large scale CCTV applications. It is seen by Appian, the firm adds, as a partnership to move their development as a manufacturer forward to the widest possible installation base. Optilan was responsible for the citywide CCTV system in Hull and is currently providing communications and CCTV for section two of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
What they say
Chairman Tim Allen says: “The contract represents a welcome addition to Optilan’s Highways and CCTV portfolios. We are extremely pleased to have been chosen by Thames Valley Police, and are looking forward to working with them over the coming years. A number of other police forces with similar requirements have already contacted us with system requirements for their areas, which is a fantastic added bonus. The prospects for our ANPR business with Appian are very exciting."
The Thames Valley contract will be one of the first to use Appian’s new I-Star ANPR Camera
The I-Star Plus Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera has been
designed to read vehicle license plates day and night and obtain additional over
view images. Two cameras are sealed in a single housing, one is dedicated for ANPR, and the second camera serves as the over view camera.
About the firm
Optilan Communication Systems is the trading name of Optilan (UK) Ltd. Founded in 1990 by three engineers in a spare bedroom, the company’s turnover has more than doubled over the past three years. Optilan covers telecommunications systems integration and fibre cabling. The Coventry-based firm adds that its systems are at work throughout the UK and in more than 30 countries.
