THREATS INCREASE

Total security in today’s environment requires more expertise than ever before.  The general feeling that we are facing an increasing problem with home-grown and international terrorism has spurred more and more governments and heads-of-state to increase their investment in security systems.  This, in turn, has given security teams the opportunity and resources to acquire more sophisticated equipment for the job.

SECURITY IN REMOTE AREAS

Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, in particular, have all seen a growing requirement for specialized security vehicles to reinforce the ability of security services to operate in remote areas or venues.  A project to develop such a vehicle was recently initiated by several U.K. companies acting in cooperation -- Meridian Distribution U.K. Ltd., a specialist service dealing with the design and implementation of custom-made security products for overseas governments; Vedesco Ltd., a specialist vehicle design consultancy; and Norbain SD, one of Europe’s leading distributors of CCTV, access control and intruder detection equipment.

The fruit of this cooperation is a command and control vehicle for use by presidential personal-security teams.  It has been designed according to exact specifications to help ensure the safety of the president when travelling to remote or unsecured venues. 

The vehicle features, among other equipment, advanced MIC400IR aluminum infrared CCTV cameras from Bosch Security Systems which were specified by Vedesco and supplied through Norbain SD.

The command and control vehicle is a 26 ton 6 m x 4 m Mercedes truck which acts as a platform for the security services to organize themselves and effectively control a venue or event.  This allows the president to visit in safety more locations than would otherwise be advisable.  Thanks to the CCTV element, the unit also allows security personnel to respond to situations that officers may otherwise not be able to see, giving them a more tactical view of the surroundings.

The facilities on board are extensive -- a conference room with an LCD projector, satellite communications for voice, fax and data communications, encrypted radio transmitter/receiver, kitchen, WC and operations room, and other made-to-order systems.  Advanced kit includes cellular jamming, explosive-device detection and metal detection systems, which are available as a portable gate that can be positioned outside the truck.  The truck also includes air conditioning to keep personnel and equipment at a comfortable temperature, as well as portable scene lighting to ensure a clear view around the vehicle at all times.

MIC400 Cameras

The command and control vehicle holds 12 wireless cameras which can be deployed up to 1 km from the vehicle.  These include two MIC400 aluminum fully-functional PTZ cameras from Bosch with integrated wipers to ensure they operate perfectly regardless of the weather or environmental conditions.  With a rating of IP68 the cameras are well protected against the elements and offer a high level of vandal resistance should the cameras come under attack.

The MIC400 aluminum range is ideal for rapid deployment applications like this, thanks to their compact size, rugged design and flexible mounting options that allow the cameras to be installed upright, inverted or canted at a 45° angle.  Full 360° continuous-rotation pans and 320° tilt gives the operator an enhanced view, ensuring all areas around the vehicle can be covered.  An MIC400 aluminum camera has also been attached to an eight meter telescopic mast which is raised through the roof of the vehicle to give greater all-round visibility.

The MIC400 range of PTZ CCTV cameras also features brushless motors as standard delivering superior control, virtually silent operation and unmatched reliability.  The cameras are, in fact, regarded as the smoothest, most versatile PTZ cameras available on the market.  The virtually silent operation ensures that sound does not resonate through the mast on which the camera is installed, a common problem with many other PTZ cameras.

All cameras are controlled via a matrix, which has facilities for four operators in the control room.  Radio contact equipment is used for the wireless transmission of images and is very simple to set up -- the operators simply need to switch it on and point it in the right direction.

”All the kit was chosen with performance and robustness in mind,” says Managing Director of Vedesco Ltd., Steve Woodhead, whose company project managed the vehicle build and coordinated the installation of the CCTV cameras with wireless networks and portable power solutions.  “The cameras can all be deployed quickly and can operate unattended for up to 48 hours, a great benefit when these may be up to 1 km away from the vehicle.”  Installing the equipment for this type of application presented some challenges of its own ? “Everything had to be carefully protected against the vibration and shocks that come with being driven over rough terrain,” says Steve Woodhead.  The equipment is also heat-protected.  A custom rack has been designed to ensure that all heat is directed to the outside of the vehicle, which helps maintain a comfortable working environment for the operators.

Vedesco Ltd. has experience of over thirty mobile CCTV vehicle design and build projects for police forces and councils across the U.K., the majority benefited from having cameras from Bosch fitted thanks to their ability to resist vandalism and handle the harsh environment.

Managing Director of Meridian Distribution U.K., Parvez Ali said he was very pleased with what had been achieved.  “It’s immediately obvious that they’ve carried out a truly expert job,” he says.  “I looked round it just recently with a head of presidential security coordinating and using the vehicle on a day-to-day basis.  He was extremely happy with the completed project.”

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