Monitoring centre perators foiled an attempt to steal heating oil from tankers parked overnight in an Essex fuel depot. The late night raid led to an arrest at the secure depot, another success for the Vision monitored electronic guarding service from security contractor Secom plc. Vision is described as an alternative to manned guarding at remote locations, as where high-value equipment or products are stored in the open.
Secom Managing Director Minoru Takezawa says the successful response to the fuel depot raid underlines the importance of professionally monitored security solutions and an excellent relationship between security staff and the police. "Our security professionals are highly trained to assess situations on customers’ premises and to deliver the most appropriate response. We are able to filter out ‘false alarms’, calling for police support only where absolutely necessary."
The oil depot, in a busy industrial area, is a base for a fleet of tankers which deliver heating oil to residential and other customers. Cameras for the Vision system have been installed to cover the area inside the depot’s security fence for more than four years.
Minoru Takezawa says: "The response was triggered by movement in the depot compound, which alerted the duty operator in our Video Response Centre, more than 40 miles from the scene of the incident. After notifying the depot’s keyholder, the operator continued to monitor the situation. When two intruders were seen filling various containers direct from the parked tankers, the operator called the police and updated the keyholder. One intruder apparently escaped, but police made an arrest at the scene and found a number of containers filled with oil."
Other applications include, the firm adds, construction yards and car hire or distribution depots. Strategically placed cameras are activated by motion sensors, sending immediate images via a secure link to the Secom Video Response Centre for assessment by operators.
"The camera images enable response operators to distinguish between legitimate and suspicious behaviour, which means we can significantly reduce unnecessary calls to respond to situations on site," says Minoru Takezawa. "Some installations also have an audio channel which allows operators to broadcast warnings over loudspeakers on the site – before taking further action such as calling for the appropriate response. A Vision installation is an extremely cost effective alternative to manned guarding, and it provides a safe and practical security solution for sites of all sizes. Over the years, Vision has significantly reduced risk for customers in a number of industries."
