The COF Board pictured left to right: Technical Lead Officer - Simon Lambert  (Association of Security Consultants), Police Liaison Lead Officer - Mick Harrison (Kent Police), Chairman - Brian Pender (NHS Trusts), Training Lead Officer - Gordon Tyerman (the Security Institute), Secretary - Group Secretary - Alan Gardner (Public CCTV Managers, Association), Retail & Commercial Lead Officer - Lloyd Wright (British Council of Shopping Centre Managers)

Pictured left: Representatives of the COF Core Group which included British Transport Police, Association of Chief Police Officers, Public CCTV Managers Association, British Retail Consortium, British Council of Shopping Centre Managers, NHS Trusts, Assiciation of Security Consultants, the Security Institute, Transport Sector and Association of Train Operating Companies.

The newly formed CCTV Organisations Forum (COF) inaugural meeting was held in London in January and will stage its next meeting at the Global MSC Security, Bristol City and South Gloucestershire Council’s Security Seminar staged at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel on 6^th March 2012.

COF is body of professional representatives of organisations that wish to be involved in improving the technical standards, use and deployment of CCTV, the delivery of professional training, development and standard to CCTV managers and staff that perform those duties. They will provide advice and guidance to the Home Office in the way public space CCTV is utilised and provide safeguards and reassurances to ensure privacy of individuals’ data is also taken into account.

This unique group will transfer information and provide a link between the other identified sector areas to stimulate, discuss, develop and promote best practice in the CCTV industry. Such consistent expertise and direction has been sadly lacking with the advancement, development and use of public space CCTV adopted by many towns and businesses over the years.

The Core Group is made up of representatives from the following organisations: -

· Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)

· Metropolitan Police

· British Transport Police (BTP)

· NHS Trusts

· British Retail Consortium (BRC)

· British Council of Shopping Centre Managers (BCSCM)

· Transport Sector

· Association of Train Operating Companies

· Public CCTV Managers Association (PCMA)

· The Security Institute

· Association of Security Consultants (ASC)

· Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO)

This Core Group will hold its next meeting on 5th March 2012 at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel as part of the Security Seminar being staged there the next day.

You may be aware that Deputy Chief Constable Graeme Gerrard, ACPO lead on CCTV, is planning to retire in April 2012. We are delighted to announce that Graeme has agreed to deliver the keynote speech at our March 2012 seminar where he will reflect on the riots as well as provide his thoughts on what has been achieved under his guidance in the field of CCTV and where this is expected to be taken to further the regulation . He will also be participating in the afternoon panel discussion. This will be a wonderful opportunity for CCTV Users to say their farewells and thanks to Graeme. Other confirmed speakers include:

· DCI Mick Neville - Metropolitan Police

· Alex Deane - Big Brother Watch

· Peter Currie - Milestone Systems

· Dr Paul Reilly - University of Leicester

· Gordon McLanaghan - Bristol City Council

· Dr Peter Fussey - University of Essex

· C/ Supt Jon Stratford - Avon & Somerset Constabulary

· Tim Close - UK Broadband

· Det Sgt Sim Cryer - Avon & Somerset Constabulary

· Mark Rees - 360 Vision

· Ted Beatson - Synectics

We were delighted to host the Global MSC Security Seminar and Exhibition, in conjunction with Safe Newcastle, aimed at CCTV, Facility and Security Managers, on Tuesday 8th November 2011on the subject of ‘The Protection of Freedoms Bill - An Update’ Speakers included:

Interim CCTV Regulator Andrew Rennison was the keynote speaker and delivered a very thought provoking presentation on how regulation may look once the Protection of Freedoms Bill is passed (due Spring 2012), Judith Jones of the Information Comissioners Office gave the audience an update on the Bill. Whilst Mick Neville of the Met Poilice and Nigel Horsfall of Everything Everywhere talked candidly about the August Riots and how CCTV helped to catch and convict those responsible.

After lunch there was a ‘Question Time’ style debate where the audience were able to pose questions to the expert panel who will included Nigel Horsfall, Judith Jones, Simon Adcock (BSIA), Peter Webster (Slough Borough Council and Alan Gardner (London Borough of Enfield).Manufacturers and integrators who participated:

Throughout the day, there was the opportunity to enter a draw to win a fabulous iPad2 which was kindly donated by 360 Vision. The winner was David Down of Newcastle City Council.

We staged a private networking dinner on the evening of 7th November 2011 to allow exhibitors and delegates to meet in a relaxed atmosphere before the more formal event the following day and was staged at the Gosforth Park Marriott Hotel. Throughout the evening there was a fundraising raffle to raise funds for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. Fabulous prizes were donated which included a Motorola Xoom donated by UK Broadband (won by Kevin Bruce of USS) , a bottle of vintage cognac from NVT(won by Jason Piggott of Dallmeier) ,a digital camera from COE, (won by Howard da Costa of Commend) a Ferrari Red Letter Day from Norbain (won by Karl Blemar of Freespace) dinner B&B at the Gosforth Marriott donated by Marriott Hotels (won by Stephen King of Zenitel) and a bottle of champage donated by Steve Dobby of Bosch (won by Dominic Scarr of UK Broadband). We raised £650 for a very worthy charity. Additionally, in memory of our dearly missed friend the late John Broomfield, CCTV Manager for Nottingham City Council, MSC donated a Kindle which was raffled to raise funds for John’s chosen charities.The winner was Michelle Ryall of Pelco.

As part of the drinks reception prior to the evening dinner at 7.30pm, our drinks sponsor ,CCTV lighting specialists Raytec hosted a short and practical test night demonstration for all attendees - held within the grounds of Gosforth Park. Raytec highlighted some of the practical issues facing security professionals in achieving high performance CCTV images at night. Raytec engineerstested the performance of the latest Infra-Red and White-Light LED technology with a range of camera and lens combinations, including IP and Megapixel technology. The session also focused on the improved system performance, and the energy and cost savings made possible by switching from old style wasteful lighting technology to new low energy LED technology. Attendees were able to see firsthand the integration of different components, get the best installation and set-up advice, and pose specific testing requests.

Additionally, during the day on 7th November 2011 we hosted an indoor Go Karting championship. We had a great turnout for the fun event and despite lots of dubious overtaking and a couple of ‘near misses’ we had an action packed finale. The overall winner of the event was Steve Dobby of Bosch, second was Stuart Moaby of Maidstone Council and third was Andy Cassidy of Norbain. It was a uncharacteristically sunny day and after the karting was finished we all enjoyed pizza for lunch in the sunshine.

You can read an interesting article here regarding the BSIA’s view of CCTV following the August riots in the UK which features Simon Adcock who was on the panel at the Newcastle Seminar earlier this month.

ProsecureNewsonline BSIA Article

Global MSC Security MD, Derek Maltby explains why “real statistics” on CCTV’s effectivenes must be gathered and disseminated to prove that surveillance is of massive benefit to the general public as well as law enforcement bodies.

Back in 1993 I was a security manager in a busy Bristol shopping centre. My views on CCTV were sought by the national press after two-year-old Jamie Bulger was abducted from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle and subsequently killed by two juveniles.

Although of poor quality, CCTV evidence from the New Strand showed the two juveniles responsible casually observing children and apparently selecting a target to abduct.

They approached and spoke to Jamie before taking him by the hand and leading him out of the building. That moment was captured on a CCTV camera recording and time-stamped at 15:42 on 12 February 1993.

Until that time, CCTV was viewed as something of a low priority for law enforcement organisations. The positive response of many like me to this short clip may have convinced the Government of the Day to consider CCTV as being totally reliable and irrefutable.

Now engrained into the minds of many security professionals, Jamie Bulger’s abduction is the moment that turned the tide in favour of the massive benefits CCTV could (and still does) offer.

Suddenly, CCTV was the liberator of many hours of painstaking police work that could be short-circuited with the use of well-sited and suitably recording CCTV systems.

Supported by the general public

Successive Governments latched on to this great ‘crime prevention panacea’ and numerous town centre CCTV systems were implemented as positive security tools which clearly had the support of the general public.

Between 1994 and 2003, approximately £240 million of Home Office funding was made available for such town centre Public Space Surveillance systems.

Since that time, though, confidence in CCTV’s abilities has been eroded. The public have become concerned that crime still occurs in areas where Public Space Surveillance CCTV has been installed and yet does not seem to deter – nor, in some cases, even detect – the offenders.

Was all this spending on expensive CCTV just hype and a huge ‘White Elephant’ that could never be justified or achieve its ambitious objectives? We’ve all become complacent about the benefits of CCTV, and those benefits need to be re-energised.

Among others, organisations including Big Brother Watch have cast doubt on the value and cost/benefit of Public Space Surveillance CCTV. Indeed, their negative voice seems to be heard above those who support its use.

Benefits from well maintained and managed CCTV

As a security consultant and specialist in town centre CCTV systems, we know the real benefits to be had from a well maintained and managed Public Space Surveillance CCTV system (among them the convictions and the police time these captured images can make and save).

Sadly, this good work is poorly collated and publicised. Every year the police service can provide statistics of the number of arrests for such things as prohibited drugs possession but there appears to be no such process to measure the quality, quantity and benefit of the use of CCTV and the number of arrests, criminal offences, missing persons, etc identified, captured and convicted by such systems.

Such Public Space Surveillance CCTV data is apparently available on a local basis, yet such information is not generally released to the media and public.

Comments from CCTV operators are usually along the lines of: “After the conviction we’re never told what happens” (in terms of the police or the Crown Prosecution Service and where they take matters).

Until we regularly tell the public that this expensive tool is working and show them the results achieved, doubt will continue to be cast on its effectiveness.

Great opportunity lies before us

‘Justification’ is the buzzword at the moment to safeguard the jobs of many, let alone the proactive CCTV operators.

Well, the opportunity has arrived. CCTV has suddenly garnered public support with town and city centre centre cameras proving they are well-sited to capture the recent riots and the offenders carrying off the loot after the burglaries from High Street premises or deliberate acts of arson and vandalism along their route.

Let’s not lose this public support. Although many of the offenders in the riots covered their faces to avoid immediate identification, police evidence gatherers are able to match clothing and other prominent features with these criminals prior to or after committing their crimes.

The obvious benefit CCTV will have over a ‘Bobby on every street corner’ is that the images will not fade from the hard drive like the memories of the popular but limited recollection of the copper.

The recent riots served as the focal point that has enabled the general public to make a positive contribution to the many hours of CCTV footage. They know these criminals in the midst of their communities and this is their opportunity to identify them from the CCTV images and expose their actions to the police.

This momentum needs to continue like it did in the early 1990s with the positive aspects of surveillance far outweighing the negative.

Real statistics must be gathered

The Government, local authorities, system managers and operators need to push to ensure that CCTV is not just ‘a good idea’ and that real figures are gathered to prove to those sceptics that it does produce results for the benefit of the general public.

Perhaps as part of the Protection of Freedoms Bill this could be the catalyst to render the formal reporting of Public Space Surveillance CCTV statistics and figures as a statutory benefit to support its use?

How about the provision of a permanent Home Office/crime prevention website used solely to identify offenders/witnesses captured on CCTV?

Should this be a more streamlined process across all constabulary boundaries to maximise the benefit of CCTV?

I know we can do more to support the benefits CCTV brings to us all. Let’s not waste the ‘window of opportunity’.

The University of Bristol has been working for the past 18 months on a project to relocate their existing control room from the centre of Bristol to their Veterinary School premises at Langford, about 15 miles away. The new control room upgraded and refurbished by Thinking Space, OCS and project managed by consultants Global MSC Security, is now fully operational and is controlling the 100+ remote cameras in Bristol using a Lenel IP platform to command and control the systems.

The new control room was officially opened on 8^th September by Professor Jo Price (Head of the School of Veterinary Sciences); also in attendance were Jerry Woods and Tony Blundall from the University of Bristol security team, Michael Cox and Graham Dixon from OCS and Liz Lloyd of Global MSC Security as well as other members of the University security team and staff.

We are delighted to announce that the Interim CCTV Regulator, Andrew Rennison, will be delivering the keynote speech at the Safe Newcastle & Global MSC Security Seminar on 8th November 2011 in Newcastle. The speaker line-up for the day is as follows:

To register for the Seminar please visit the Bookings section of our website.

As part of the drinks reception at the Safe Newcastle & Global MSC Security Seminar on 7th November, our drinks sponsor ,CCTV lighting specialists Raytec will be hosting a short and practical test night demonstration for all attendees - held within the grounds of Gosforth Park. Raytec will highlight some of the practical issues facing security professionals in achieving high performance CCTV images at night. Raytec engineers will test the performance of the latest Infra-Red and White-Light LED technology with a range of camera and lens combinations, including IP and Megapixel technology. The session also focuses on the improved system performance, and the energy and cost savings made possible by switching from old style wasteful lighting technology to new low energy LED technology. Attendees can see firsthand the integration of different components, get the best installation and set-up advice, and pose specific testing requests.

Christchurch Borough Council invites applications from suitably experienced firms/organisations who wish to be considered for selection to tender.

The Council wishes to upgrade its existing Closed Circuit Television (“CCTV”) system including the re-equipment of its CCTV control room, the re-location of one camera, the treatment of all camera columns and cabinets with anti-graffiti/fly-posting paint and the provision of a further five cameras for deployment within the Council’s administrative area.

Such works are to be completed within 4 months of the Commencement Date.

The Contract will also provide for the provision of maintenance services by the Contractor. This will be for an initial period of 3 years, with a possible extension to 5 years subject to satisfactory performance.

Firms interested in being considered for invitation to tender should register their interest by contacting the Council’s appointed consultants, Global MSC Security, at the address below. They should complete and return the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire by 7th September 2011.

It is intended to issue successful applicants with tender documents in late September, with a contract expected to be awarded by December 2011.

Contact for PQQ: info@globalmsc.net