Mobotix, a manufacturer of network-based video security systems has shared details of a project at the parish of St. Nicholas, one of the UK’s oldest churches, that has deployed surveillance technology to protect against theft and vandalism while offering access to special services via the Internet.
The parish of St. Nicholas extends around the northern edge of the Borough of Stevenage and includes parts of both the old and new towns. The Saxon church on this site was replaced by a Norman one in about 1100 AD, but the only remaining part of this is the thick-walled flint tower which houses a ring of eight bells. The church structure has been partially rebuilt so many times that it is a patchwork of nine centuries of local endeavor.
Following a systematic campaign of metal thefts from the church which caused more than US$32,000 damage and a spate of vandalism, Paul Drakes, the Churchwarden at St. Nicholas Church realized it’s time for action, "We had considered surveillance for a while but the property is valued as the grade-one building with more than 1000-year-old history, so we needed to be sensitive to the heritage of the site."
There are many items of interest in the church including an ancient stone font with a medieval carved wooden cover, six 14th century misericords, a carved reredos dating from 1890, a Victorian organ and a number of stained glass windows.
Drakes, a retired fire-fighter before being elected as the churchwarden, had previous experience with surveillance systems and contacted several local firms for a solution. "We were keen to have remote access to the surveillance and for it to have enough intelligence to alert myself or other volunteers by phone if unexpected movement was detected within the church grounds," Drakes said. "We looked at several analog systems which offered poor quality and lacked flexibility. It was only when we approached Verdant Technologies did they highlight a Mobotix solution which was a good fit for our needs."
Drakes directly liaised with Verdant on every hole that was drilled to ensure that there was minimal impact to the building, Verdant set up a surveillance solution that provides a perimeter and internal view of the 2-acre site with just six cameras. Four of the Mobotix cameras cover the external perimeter of the building and just two cover the entire interior. This coverage with such a low camera count was achievable because the image quality of the Mobotix camera is so good that it can cover a large area while retaining good definition.
Another camera was added to the Bell Tower to cover the car park, access road and nearby farm buildings with agreement from the local farmer.
The system records 30 days of footage on an Overland 2-TB SNAP server and is also linked via a BT broadband connection. The Mobotix cameras can automatically telephone a range of preset telephone numbers in the event of movement in and around the church, especially late at night when previous incidents have occurred. Recipients of a phone alert can easily and securely log in via any Internet-connected PC or mobile device to view footage from any camera in real time. "This allows us to quickly and safely assess the situation and take the appropriate measures," Drakes explained.
The 3-megapixel system uses dual lenses for day and night and the cameras have microphones and speakers. This video and audio feed has also helped the church increase accessibility to important services held at the church. "We have had a funeral where an elderly close relative in Australia was unable to attend due to illness and the service made live images available via the Internet as it happened," Drakes added. "In another instance, a wedding was broadcast to relatives in Ireland, but this is only done with the express permission of the participants."
Since the installation of the surveillance, which Drakes believes is the first of its kind in the U.K. to both protect and deliver church services through Internet; there have been no thefts or incidents of vandalism on the site. "Our congregations have taken to it and we are planning to open the church over a longer period with visitors able to look around or contact us via a telephone with surveillance helping to provide protection when the church is unmanned."
"Verdant has been supportive throughout the project and unless you look very closely, the subtlety of the installation in no way detracts from the fa?ade of our church," Drakes concluded. "Many people think of surveillance as an intrusive concept but we are showing that it brings many additional benefits to our community and we hope other churches can use the technology to help their congregations."