As mentioned in our January focus on Mansfield CCTV, the district council has installed a network of rapid deployment cameras to deliver wider CCTV coverage and tackle antisocial behaviour on the streets.
Designed and manufactured by MEL Secure Systems, the Street Hawk camera system has been operational since November 2004 and has already proved its worth through a significant reduction in the number of reported incidents, which has enabled police to concentrate their efforts in a more targeted way, the Coventry-based firm reports.
Since 1996, CCTV has been a tool in the fight against crime in Mansfield where a network of 144 fully functional, permanently sited cameras are linked to a central control room by fibre optic cables. Mansfield DC decided to look at radio-based rapid deployment cameras that would enable the monitoring of crime hot-spots not covered by the town centre system for short periods of time or for incidents or events. Central funding was available for this technology, which could be fitted at a fraction of the cost of traditional fixed camera solutions. MEL Secure Systems was selected to supply its Street Hawk camera to supplement the existing CCTV network after a three-week trial where the technology was tested. As well as delivering images transmitted over license exempt radio frequency bands, the Street Hawk camera featured ‘cut and rotate’ encryption technology that is used to comply with the Data Protection Act and ensure that unauthorised people cannot monitor transmissions, according to the makers. The product includes two infra-red fittings, one wide angle and one spot, enabling the system to be used even where there is no street lighting, according to the makers. The product is shotgun resistant, the manufacturers add. MEL Secure Systems, designer, manufacturer and installer of rapid deployment cameras, reports that it offered Mansfield DC a single source solution with technical back-up. In six weeks, MEL made, delivered, installed and completed the hand-over of eight Street Hawk cameras. Half were deployed in Mansfield town centre with the rest in outlying Neighbourhood Renewal Areas. Antennas and video receivers were mounted on an existing camera pole to save costs.
What they say
“Rapid deployment cameras really do work and they are enabling us to quickly fill in the gaps not covered by traditional fixed CCTV systems,” said Cath Bannister, CCTV Manager at Mansfield. “The speed with which the cameras could be deployed was a crucial factor. They have already contributed towards detecting more crimes which will eventually lead to a reduction in crime and antisocial behaviour in and around the Mansfield area.”
The Street Hawk has a flat optic viewing window with a built-in wiper to ensure picture clarity and reduce maintenance costs. The new cameras are integrated with Mansfield DC’s central control room where the video transmissions are received and monitored in real-time. They are recorded onto a new MEL H264 compatible hard disk recorder, which stores a complete video archive for the preceding 31 days. Stills can be printed, e-mailed or transferred to DVD for evidential purposes.
