Opus Land Ltd is a developer specialising in building large, commercial units and warehouses.
Founded in 1999 by its directors, Richard Smith and Andrew Duncan. Sites are often large, unmanned at night, hazardous to visitors or trespassers, carry valuable building materials and alter continuously during the construction phase. Several sites may be under development at any one time and these can easily be spread across the whole country. The need for site security, from green field through to completed building, is critical, likewise site management. Opus Land Ltd teamed up with REMAS Ltd to develop expert security and surveillance systems for protecting and managing their extensive property portfolio.
As Richard Smith said: "The UK development market is a world leader, both in terms of building technology and commercial investment. I believe our partnership with REMAS has enabled Opus Land to lead the market in the use of electronic surveillance for security and remote site management purposes as well."
"Traditionally, manned guards are used for security provision within the development sector, not electronic solutions. However, using manned guards raises complex health and safety issues such as lone working (especially at night), the risk to personal safety on a building site and the actions a manned guard can and should take in the event of an intruder or other security alert. Can a guard truly challenge thieves or intruders without risking their own safety? Is placing a guard alone on site a breach of an employer’s duty of care to its staff?"
Richard Smith and REMAS recognised the potential role CCTV could play in changing how developers operated – a result of improvements in CCTV technology in the late 1990s. Dome cameras were developed which had significantly improved pan, tilt and, essential for larger sites, zoom features. It suddenly became a viable option to view vast areas with a single dome camera. Sites could be fully covered with relatively few cameras which an operator could watch simultaneously. Real time verbal messages could be sent to an intruder, asking them to leave the site and explaining that they were being recorded or the police had been called. Audio warnings to intruders have proven, time and again, to stop active crimes in 90 per cent of break-ins. Infra red beam products meant a site could be surrounded with an invisible field, triggering an alarm when the beams were broken. Finally, remote video response centres (monitoring stations) started to appear, whereby all CCTV cameras could be viewed at an off-site location, 24/7, by purposely trained staff. Site alarms could be verified as genuine and appropriate action taken, such as requesting a police response.
‘More effective’
Richard Smith said: "CCTV systems became more effective, false alarms were reduced to practically nothing and the site monitoring could be centralised for multiple sites, often at a separate location. The number of manned guards could be reduced, which paid for the system and those that were still necessary were working in a far safer environment. Broad band networks have since made remote monitoring even more viable and digital recording technology has improved image quality, providing the recorded evidence needed for prosecution. Digital video recorders can now be programmed to only retain selected data such as alarm triggered views, specific events, selected number plates, set times and much more. Search functions save hours of time when an incident or event needs to be recalled."
Site management
Opus Land also began to see site management possibilities with the new CCTV and security technology. The company tried some of it at various sites to great effect and then set up a ground breaking experiment at one of its distribution installations – monitored from Plymouth. Using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) all vehicle access could be controlled and monitored. Gates, barriers, loading bays, lighting and even on site verbal instructions could be relayed to site visitors and delivery drivers. Even the goods delivered could be scutinised for damage or the progress of orders tracked. That was apart from checking building integrity, ensuring contract work was carried to schedule and last but not least, the site was secure. At other sites, Opus Land found remote viewing for sales purposes allowed potential customers to view a site or property from a PC, without having to travel . Again this saved time for customers and sales staff alike.
CCTV control
Richard Smith adds: "CCTV has always been seen as just a security solution, yet it can remove many of the more challenging issues we face in the development and construction industry. A comprehensive CCTV system can keep very tight control of all building processes and procedures. Staff time keeping and work ethic can be monitored, as can the behaviour of delivery companies and contractors. This can all be detected and proven, saving time and arduous legal evidence collection. False legal claims and false litigation claims can be disproven and genuine accidents and safety issues dealt with appropriately. It even reduces the need for travel, a genuine consideration in reducing the carbon footprint of a company."
As the building and development industries look to tighten their belts in the current world financial climate, any tool that makes a company or its work significantly more efficient has to be worthy of consideration. It would seem that Opus Land and REMAS have pioneered the use of CCTV for security and site management for land developers. Theft, vandalism, trespass, health and safety, personnel management and even sales can all be supported using CCTV. Can any forward looking land developer afford to ignore the possibilities of CCTV?
