Epping Forest - Basson uses D-TECT X MKIII

GJD, an industry leading manufacturer of professional external detector equipment worked closely with The Basson Group, who is a provider of video surveillance infra-red and light enhancing cameras, to provide an integrated security system for Epping Forest in London.

The forest, managed by the City of London Open Spaces department is London’s largest open area of approximately 6,000 acres of ancient woodland and is home to an abundance of wildlife.

Challenge
Epping Forest required a full-scale security upgrade to replace out-dated intruder detectors and video surveillance cameras. The key requirements included a cost effective, reliable and low energy security solution, without compromising on image quality and detection ability. This is of imperative importance as the City of London Open Spaces department relies on video surveillance for security, visual management, coordination of staff and effective monitoring of visitors and facilities.

In order to deter intruders, illumination at the forest is essential, especially at night as some areas are in total darkness. The nature of the site meant that light pollution had to be kept to an absolute minimum, in order to avoid adverse impact to wildlife and the local environment.

The detectors needed to be robust enough to be easily repositioned if required at another area of the site. Another major specification was to ensure a low false alarm rate to avoid unnecessary disruptions.

Solution
After careful consideration it was decided that GJD’s BS8418 compliant D-TECT X MKIII wireless detector offered the perfect solution. The D-TECT X MKIII is compatible with most camera systems and features the very latest quad PIR sensor technology, a discreet internal antenna, long range wireless communications, programmable detection range and a tamper protected housing, making the detectors a robust and reliable choice for Epping Forest.

In total twenty wireless D-TECT X detectors were installed in conjunction with the D-TECT X Receiver. The use of GJD’s receiver made the installation much quicker for the professional installer. All the detectors were linked to the receiver before attending the site, this saved time on location as the detectors just had to be fitted to their preselected locations and then interconnected to the alarm panel via the D-TECT X receiver. The installer commented: “I selected GJD’s D-TECT detectors, as they have been used previously on numerous installations and I have found them to be the most reliable compared to other competitive brands”.

Both 30m and 40m variants of the D-TECT X MKIII detector were selected in order to achieve extremely accurate areas of protection. The 30m versions provide a wide volumetric area of coverage, as the detection pattern can be adjusted from 8mx8m to 30mx30m. The 40m detectors were selected for when a narrow detection pattern is required and can be adjusted to provide an impressive narrow detection zone of 40mx4m or 40mx8m.

The detectors effectively control and activate the newly installed Basson Group security cameras. Basson have upgraded the video surveillance cameras with additional PTZ cameras, now totaling over 25 Infra-Red cameras, comprising static cameras (IRB2-84VHQ) and PTZ cameras (IRB1-PTZ). These cameras were chosen because of their unrivalled Infra-Red capabilities and the fact that the illuminators are separated from the camera, offering maintenance free operation and suitable for very dark environments.

Conclusion
The use of GJD detectors with Basson cameras have provided Epping Forest with a seamless security solution and matches Epping Forest’s requirements perfectly. Richard Barrell, Asset Management Officer at the City of London Epping Forest Office commented: I am very happy with the high level of security the integrated system provides”.