A contract to upgrade Boston Borough Council’s public space CCTV has gone to the facilities management contactor OCS. The Lincolnshire council awarded the contract after a European OJEU tender process.
The contract firm is to replace the fibre optics system with a wireless system, upgrade cameras to high-definition, and build a new CCTV control room. The invest-to-save project will repay in less than four years through savings in leased fixed fibre optic lines and operating cost savings, the contractor adds. OCS is to use three partner companies. Wavesight, the wireless manufacturer and installer, will be used for the wireless; Thinking Space control room furniture will be installed; and Panasonic cameras and IT equipment will be used.
Boston’s Invest To Save initiative secured the funds to go on town centre CCTV monitoring. Council operators are based in the CCTV suite at Municipal Buildings in Boston. Private businesses can also join the system, and cameras can be moved around from low-crime areas to high-crime areas as necessary given that the system is wireless. The FM firm says new cameras will significantly improve the image quality with high-definition images that can be used in court as evidence.
Jane Sheard, managing director of OCS Facilities Services in the UK, said: “OCS is delighted to be chosen to deliver a state-of-the-art CCTV system to Boston Borough Council. With this system, OCS will be working with Boston Borough Council and Lincolnshire Police to improve security in the borough.CCTV is a critical frontline service that deters people from committing street crime in the first place, and high-definition footagecan be used as irrefutable evidence in court.
“The strength of our independent integration capabilities has been demonstrated by the deployment of Wavesight, Thinking Space and Panasonic elements of the solution. We believe this to be the beginning of a long-standing partnership with Boston Borough Council to successfully deliver CCTV and possibly a range of other facilities management solutions.”
And Stephen Woodliffe, portfolio holder for Boston Borough Council’s Community Safety Section, said: “This project represents a major investment by Boston’s Conservative administration in improving the security and welfare of our borough. It is worth noting that some councils have chosen to balance their budgets by closing down their CCTV service, but Boston’s Conservative administration is not prepared to compromise the safety and security of our borough. Our new state of the art CCTV Service will not only provide value for money but will also improve image quality and detection rates within the borough and has given out a clear message that Boston is not prepared to stand still or reduce its services for our residents and visitors. We are pleased to go into partnership with OCS on this project and we are looking forward to a new and exciting period for CCTV and Community Safety Services.”
About OCS Group
OCS Group is employing more than 77,000 people in 40 countries worldwide, with a turnover in excess of £710m (for the year ending March 2012).
The company offers more than 70 services from catering, cleaning, horticulture and waste management to security, maintenance and hygiene. These services can be delivered individually or as part of fully-integrated FM. Visit www.ocs.co.uk
