Purbeck School in Wareham now has state-of-the-art CCTV after its old analogue system was updated by Wessex Fire & Security.
The company based in Shaftesbury, Dorset, managed a complete upgrade with extra cameras all for under £5,000.
They cleverly turned the school’s analogue equipment into a digitally encoded IP system without the need to change the existing cameras.
It gives the school far more control and ultimately increases the safety of students and staff. The previous system couldn’t store much information and was difficult to search, but the new recorder solves those issues. There is a greatly enhanced picture quality and it is simple to add new cameras.
The upgrade followed the school’s year-long redesign and refurbishment, which was officially opened by former hostage John McCarthy.
Security Surveyor Chris Trim from Wessex Fire & Security said: “This work just shows how it is possible to upgrade analogue CCTV systems without changing the cameras. We were able to do it within the budget set, demonstrating that it is much cheaper than many people realise.
We were able to retain the existing cameras, but turn the signal into a digital one. This gives far better picture quality and much more information can now be stored. Footage can be searched with greater speed and we are easily able to add extra cameras.
CCTV in schools and places of further education is not just about creating a deterrent for crime or searching for suspects after a criminal act. Amongst other things it can help staff look at the flow of students and decide how that can be better managed throughout the day. There is complete site-wide coverage at the school and we can install enhancements in the future at little cost.”
Sarah Cuff, the School Business Manager, said: “I was very happy with the upgrade to our old CCTV system.
Wessex recommended a new controller that gave us many new features, while supporting our old cameras in order to keep down the cost of this unexpected upgrade. The engineers that performed the install were very professional, and followed up the initial installation with site visits to help us get the most out of the new Avigilon system.
Having modern CCTV is important especially when we have almost 1,000 students here. Of course it is also useful in holiday periods when no one is here and the school might be a target for intruders.
If we require extra cameras, for example, we can call Wessex Fire & Security and they can simply put new ones in place. I would wholeheartedly recommend Wessex Fire & Security to anyone planning to upgrade their fire and security system.”
