Mirasys, a provider of open-platform digital surveillance and video surveillance solutions, announced that Bedford Borough Council has implemented Mirasys surveillance system to support surveillance monitoring across its disparate, hybrid surveillance infrastructure. The solution streams video footage and still images of Bedford Borough Hall from analog, IP and HD cameras via fiber optic and Wi-Fi links to one central control room at Bedford surveillance, providing images around-the-clock while reducing the amount of manned guarding required at each site.
Mirasys, a provider of open-platform digital surveillance and video surveillance solutions, announced that Bedford Borough Council has implemented Mirasys surveillance system to support surveillance monitoring across its disparate, hybrid surveillance infrastructure. The solution streams video footage and still images of Bedford Borough Hall from analog, IP and HD cameras via fiber optic and Wi-Fi links to one central control room at Bedford surveillance, providing images around-the-clock while reducing the amount of manned guarding required at each site.
The Silas Group completed the implementation in a period of just three weeks and the Mirasys software and hardware solution supports six network and 14 analog cameras at the Bedford Borough Hall site which is head office to Bedford Borough Council. The network cameras provide HD-quality images which have improved the clarity of surveillance in building, as well as providing monitoring around a walkway at the back of the Hall which had been prone to loitering and other antisocial behavior. This has helped improve public safety as the previous legacy system had been unable to monitor image data in low-lighting conditions and the extraction of footage for forensic evidence had been almost impossible.
By connecting the Mirasys systems at both Bedford Borough Hall and the Borough Council's surveillance center via a fiber optic cable, remotely-based authorized surveillance users are able to view live image data across both sites. This has reduced the hours that management and security staff at Borough Hall are required to spend on-site, leading to cost savings and improved monitoring efficiency.
The hybrid system has also allowed Bedford to future-proof the council's surveillance infrastructure; since installing the IP-ready system, Bedford has fitted five Wi-Fi camera links in the town center area which are also monitored centrally through the control room. These IP links have avoided costly fiber optic cable rental, further enhancing the cost efficiency and quality of service that Bedford County Council's surveillance infrastructure can provide.
“The legacy system was difficult to use and image quality was poor, which meant that monitoring was problematic, particularly if we needed to extract data for forensic investigations. Now, surveillance staff can simply access data from both sites, whether that is from live or recorded streams to ensure that council areas remain safe and provide no risk to the public,” said Chris Mears, Facilities Manager at Bedford Council.
“Bedford needed a solution that could not only improve the quality of surveillance images, but also support and maintain a disparate, hybrid infrastructure both now and in the future,” said Kevin Burraway, Director at the installer company, Silas Group.