A UK police force is using corner-mounted camera units from Conway Security Products as part of rolling refurbishments to create dedicated custody suites at police stations.
Conway's CM230IR unit was chosen as the best solution for an environment with unusual and challenging customer needs. The police force concerned insists on high levels of resilience, response and maintenance, its principal aims being to safeguard the wellbeing of detainees and staff in a busy, sensitive environment.
Delivering optimum picture quality is obviously a pre-requisite for any camera and in this evidential application it is vital that there is an accurate visual and audio record of all events, notably interaction between police and detainees.
A custodial environment brings other basic demands. The camera has to be safe from attack yet at the same time the assembly cannot create a risk to the room occupant. Primarily, the installation has been designed to minimize the risk of creating any ligature point and this is an issue that Conway's corner-mounted assembly was designed to address. The unit's two-piece design flexes into a room's corners so minimizing the risk of gaps being created.
The design has a further advantage for both integrator and end-user. Once the frame is in place, often as part of a first fit process, the camera is installed in minutes. Should it need to be removed in the future, an operative has only to remove six screws and take it away. The frame can even be re-sealed using a blanking panel, ensuring the room remains safe. This design reduces on-site time engineer time, keeps cells open for longer and so minimizes total cost of ownership (TCO) over the life of the product.
Chris Newman, MD of Conway, said, “Phrases such as ‘total cost of ownership', ‘energy efficiency' and ‘carbon footprint' were not in the vocabulary of a video network manufacturer until recently. Now they are at the core of good business practice and are a critical part of the design process.”
"The CM230IR was designed with energy efficiency in mind using innovative infrared LEDs and photocell operation that ensures lighting is only used if required. Throughout the design and prototyping process our engineers considered how we could eclipse anything else on the market. This could only happen with feedback from end-users and integrators.” said Newman.
As engineers with wide-ranging experience, Conway's R & D team realized that a police force cannot have a cell, charge desk or holding unit out of action for half a day while an operative fits and makes good a camera. Technical staff need to be in and out as soon as possible.