Recently retired Deputy Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary, Graeme Gerrard, is advising on CCTV and anti-crime strategies – for British manufacturer 360 Vision Technology, based only a stone’s-throw from Graeme’s home, in Runcorn, Cheshire. Graeme will be representing 360 Vision Technology in an advisory capacity, alongside other business interests that he has pursued since retiring from Cheshire Police in the spring.
DCC Gerrard first came across 360 Vision Technology when visiting a security exhibition: “My attention was drawn to the high intensity white light technology being deployed by 360 Vision and it was apparent very quickly that it offered significant crime prevention opportunities. What proved more surprising was that 360 Vision Technology was operating out of offices a mere five miles from my own home in Frodsham; not only was this British technology, a British company innovating in a highly competitive global marketplace, it was doing it right on my own patch and my interest levels were stimulated further.
“I haven’t seen the technology used in exactly this way elsewhere. The ability of the operator to turn on the high intensity white light, directionally, serves as a compelling deterrent. If unable to deter the hardened criminal or those not thinking rationally, the white light offers true full colour quality footage instead of night time mono images in the event of video being required as evidence.”
Gerrard began as a police officer in 1975, becoming assistant chief constable in 1998 and DCC in April 2005. He was chair of the National CCTV Strategy Implementation Board and co-authored the National CCTV Strategy, published in October 2007. He was lead officer for CCTV in the Cheshire force – often being called upon to comment on CCTV issues at a national level.
He was for a time Acting Chief Constable at Cheshire. His numerous responsibilities at the Association of Chief Police Officers included being chair of the ACPO Video/CCTV Working Group, and the ACPO Video Analysis User Group; he also gave evidence on behalf of ACPO to the House of Lords Select Committee investigating the ‘Surveillance Society’, and to the Home Affairs Select Committee examining the Freedoms Bill. He acted as advisor to a number of foreign Governments and police forces across the globe on the use of CCTV, and has authored several significant articles on CCTV including research on the number of cameras in existence in the UK. Most recently, he was appointed chair of the 2012 London Olympic (Police) CCTV Project Board, a role that he continues to be involved in as the London Olympic Games runs.
Adrian Kirk, Sales Manager for 360 Vision Technology, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that such an eminent figure in the anti-crime, CCTV and security sector has chosen to support 360 Vision Technology. It can be difficult for the police following up CCTV footage as part of an investigation, so our British designed and manufactured camera has been created with the challenges facing operators firmly front of mind; Predator empowers operators to be proactive rather than simply passive observers. It can address the obvious resource challenges facing the authorities and assist CCTV operators in averting threats and protecting the great British public.”
360 Vision Technology’s MD Phil Burton added: “We expect the demand for the Predator to continue to rise exponentially, and the support of one of the industry’s leading authorities on crime prevention is a timely and major boost in the company’s development,” said Phil. “All technology development, manufacturing and customer service will be retained in Runcorn, so all round this is a great new chapter for our Cheshire-based company with the potential for significant job creation in the sub-region.”
