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Dublin Bridge  (Photo by Rainbow CCTV)

Zoom lenses from Rainbow are being installed across Dublin, Ireland, as the Irish police force (Garda) expands and upgrades city center security systems.

The lenses, which have various focal lengths, are being used at shopping precincts, tourists quarters, leisure facilities and on river frontage.  Extensive use is being made of 7.5-112.5mm models. These are functioning from high-resolution cameras and are used in color, monochrome and infrared modes according to the nature of the site and lighting conditions.

The installation has been performed by Dublin-based SKS Communications whose Managing Director, Harry Smith, said, “We chose the Rainbow lens because the client wanted to control the iris from the receiver board and we needed an optimum F stop plus good tracking performance over the entire focal length.  Rainbow has delivered on these criteria.“

Mr. Smith continued, “The cameras used are notable in that they physically remove the IR cut filter from the field of view when you switch to monochrome mode and this met our needs.  Both lens and camera are satisfying Garda? stringent requirements.“

The recent installation underlines Rainbow’s pedigree since it is a repeat order, the company’s lenses having been first used in Dublin in 1996.  At locations requiring longer fields of view -- notably riverside areas -- a 10~200mm lens is being used.  These are capable of observing pedestrian and vehicle movement across the breadth of the River Liffey and have proved invaluable during marine events and on occasions when pedestrians have fallen from the banks or towpaths.  They also allow police to follow people as they move through large crowds.  The riverside camera assemblies include IR illuminators which are activated remotely.

There are 115 cameras in total on the central Dublin system.  These cover approximately a square mile with police observation center including the main thoroughfare O?onnell Street.  The units are linked by private fiber and microwave.

The Irish government recently spent 2.8m Euros on CCTV for the Dublin bus system and measures to protect both the local and tourist community are wide ranging.  There is extensive camera coverage of the Templebar area, a Bohemian quarter including nightclubs and street cafes.