Panomera system supports Essen police in its mission to protect the public

After Cologne, now Essen, the major conurbation in the Ruhr Region has also decided to use the patented Panomera technology to support its police force in the pursuit of their mission to protect. Now the law enforcement authorities can rely on an immensely powerful video surveillance system which will make the work of the police significantly easier, and whose effectiveness will improve the safety of public areas within the city.

Panomera - A completely new approach

The Panomera multifocal sensor system was specially developed for the all-encompassing video surveillance of expansive areas. With Panomera, huge widths, as well as areas with long distances can be displayed with a completely new resolution quality, in real time and at high frame rates of up to 30 fps. One crucial advantage of this technology is that it enables an enormous expanse to be monitored from a single location. At the same time, the resolution is almost infinitely scalable so that it can fulfil the respective police observation mission in every respect. Compared with conventional projects with single-sensor cameras, which often require dozens of devices to cover large areas, the number of installation points can be reduced drastically through the use of Panomera. Accordingly one Panomera with eight sensors can replace as many as 35 standard megapixel cameras.

Targeted deployment, high impact

The Essen Police Force chose a district in the northern part of the Inner City, described as a focal point for criminal activity as the first deployment site for the new video solution. "The people in that district feel significantly less safe, so this is why we installed a video observation system in that area, known as the "Rheinischer Platz", explains a police spokesperson. The camera housings installed around the square are equipped with up to eight different lenses, thus replacing as many as 30 individual cameras. The multifocal sensor systems provide the Police with highest resolution recordings at any distance. The primary objective of the project was to strengthen the residents' sense of safety and to ensure that particularly the entrance to the underground railway there was no longer perceived as frightening. Passive video surveillance used elsewhere in the past has already proven inadequate for this purpose. With the active video surveillance made possible by the Dallmeier systems, now the law enforcement forces in Essen have also embarked on a new, sustained approach to crime prevention and criminal investigation. The first successes, which excited media interest, have included foiling an imminent bank robbery and arrests linked to the selling of narcotics.

Active observation vs. passive monitoring

Instead of simply having to assume that a large number of installed surveillance cameras would somehow bring about a significant reduction in criminality, the Police in Essen now has the capability to carry out targeted, active video observation. Potentially dangerous situations are detected even before they threaten to become incidents in a police statistics report. Fast response forces are alerted rapidly and guided to the site of interest. And if a criminal offense is committed "under the noses" of the police, Panomera supplies conclusive information which can be used as evidence in a court of law and as the basis for criminal investigations.