Synectics to Complete Multi-site Surveillance Upgrade as Part of Private Prisons Contract
Source: Synectics
Date: 2019/05/24
Surveillance solutions provider Synectics is in the final stages of a project to upgrade a national network of privately operated custodial sites, to improve security and enhance safety for staff, inmates, and detainees.
Won as part of a competitive tender, the contract will see Synectics’ command and control software platform, Synergy 3, deployed across a number of facilities including prisons, a special-offender unit, and a high-profile immigration center. At maximum capacity, the sites are equipped to secure over 4,500 individuals.
Field-proven in the tightly regulated custodial sector and high-security markets where surveillance is operationally critical, Synergy 3’s open-architecture design allows users to integrate, monitor, and manage data from a wide range of third-party technologies and devices. This capability, together with the company’s sector expertise and technological credentials, resulted in Synectics being awarded the contract across all sites up for tender.
In addition to enabling facility surveillance teams to monitor and manage footage from a mix of fixed/PTZ analog and IP cameras – over 1,700 across all sites – the end-to-end solutions developed by Synectics for each location also support tailored interoperability with a range of sub-systems. These include perimeter intrusion detection, access control, intercom access, audio help point, and the operator’s proprietary ‘general alarm’ system.
Brett Longley, Technical Sales Manager at Synectics, said: “Pairing video footage with data inputs from these and other third-party systems delivers a comprehensive alarm monitoring and alert solution that flags any issue and immediately prioritizes relevant camera feeds, ensuring surveillance operators can rapidly verify and investigate. It provides each team with complete situational awareness across their specific facility and the means to action appropriate response.”
Each fully-IP solution has also been designed to reflect dramatically different needs across the mix of sites. Greg Alcorn, Divisional Director – Transport & Infrastructure at Synectics, commented: “With the immigration center, for example, it’s not about securing and closely monitoring dangerous criminals. The facility is designed to offer a safe and secure environment for individuals and families while they await immigration clearance. Balancing a feeling of free movement with necessary levels of restriction in such locations is helped dramatically by the right use of technology, and that was a key focus for us in how we could support this particular private operator.
“For instance, by integrating video footage from across the facility with data from door/entry systems and access permissions (whether based on specific individuals or simply the time of day), surveillance operators can quickly and easily view detainee movements on Synergy 3’s map-centric display – eliminating the need for uneccessary guard presence or confinement measures.”
This recent project is the latest in a series of high-profile public infrastructure contracts secured by Synectics, reflecting the strength of its high-security credentials and flexibility of its Synergy 3 command and control platform.