Veracity appoints Ashley Wyton as Group sales director

Veracity, the network video products developer, recently appointed Ashley Wyton as Group sales director. Wyton joins the company’s management team with a focus on strengthening the organisation’s relationships with security system integrators and installers and managing and expanding its worldwide distribution network outside of North America.

Veracity concentrates its attentions on IP transmission, data storage, video wall display controllers and sophisticated integrated Command and Control systems for the global surveillance and security industry. Headquartered in Prestwick, Veracity operates development, sales and support offices across the UK, North America, the Middle East and India.

Ashley Wyton

Welcoming Wyton to the business, Alastair McLeod (Veracity’s chairman and CEO) stated: “Ashley brings over 18 years of international security sector experience to our company. He has held a number of senior commercial roles with FLIR, Honeywell and, most recently, the Comelit Group. He will now work closely with me and the rest of Veracity’s management and expert staff to develop, support and extend the reach of our global business activities, building and growing long-term sales channels in both mature and developing markets.”

On joining Veracity, Wyton enthused: “I’m thrilled to have joined Veracity in what is a pivotal role. It’s a business built on innovation that supports its customers, and which provides solutions for a multitude of surveillance and system integration issues that exist in the market.”

Wyton continued: “We have some exciting plans to expand the reach of the business into new high-growth regions such as South East Asia. Indeed, the Veracity global business is well positioned for significant growth over the next five years, and I’m very much looking forward to working closely with our customers and business partners in order to positively influence the strategy of the organisation going forward.”

*Further information is available online at www.veracityglobal.com

UVS integrates Lucidity video wall manager with Synectics’ Synergy Command and Control platform

Video wall technology expert Ultimate Visual Solutions (UVS) has announced that its UVS Lucidity video wall controller now integrates with Synectics’ Synergy Command and Control software platform.

The move is part of an ongoing strategic partnership which dates back more than 14 years, with the integrated Lucidity-Synergy solution now being installed across multiple client sites, subsequently helping to protect people and assets across the UK.

Synectics specialises in the design, integration, control and management of advanced surveillance technology for those myriad environments where security is operationally critical.

The Synergy Command and Control solution is highly flexible and user-friendly, helping to ensure customers can always access the information that counts. Mission-critical data is made manageable, meaningful and actionable.

Inaugural project

Based in the ‘Burnley First’ Burnley Business Centre, UVS provides video wall displays and audio visual solutions for a range of clients across the UK and the rest of the world. The company is led by four senior colleagues who, between them, have more than 70 years’ combined audio visual, Control Room and visual solutions experience.

The companies’ first project together using Synectics’ Synergy Command and Control platform was for Wakefield Metropolitan Borough Council’s Urban Traffic and CCTV Control Room back in 2007. Since then, the UVS-Synectics partnership has been involved in multiple security Control Room installations across the UK, including high-security prisons, Government facilities, local council security and Shopping Centre security monitoring applications (the latter including Manchester’s ever-popular Trafford Centre). These installations have provided hundreds of thousands of hours of protection for millions of people and multiple assets.

Large-scale viewing

UVS managing director Steve Murphy said: “The integration brings the significant display functionality benefits of the Lucidity video wall solution to Synergy users, including the display of multiple data sources such as web browsers, remote workstations, message boxes, RSS feeds and collaboration devices alongside traditional CCTV images. Any data source can be displayed anywhere on the video wall, thereby allowing large-scale viewing of data sources during specific incidents.”

Murphy went on to comment: “Via the integration, Synergy also provides detailed alarm configuration to ensure that relevant data is displayed automatically when specific events occur.” 

The most recent Lucidity-Synergy installation includes multiple video walls and provides multiple collaboration device inputs, allowing data from mobile devices such as iPads, phones and tablets to be instantly displayed on the video walls wirelessly via the integration. 

Sree Namelil, product manager at Synectics, concluded: “Synergy is designed to make sure Control Room operatives always have the information they need when and how they need it. Its ability to integrate with leading third party technologies is essential to this mission. We’re delighted to have partnered with UVS on this latest development.”

*For further information on UVS go to www.ultimatevs.co.uk

Synectics to highlight value of ethical surveillance tools at Global MSC Security Conference 2019

This year’s Global MSC Security Conference and Exhibition, which runs at The Bristol Hotel in Bristol on 11-12 November, will see Synectics explain how advanced technologies and evolving features can support those practitioners tasked with ensuring that public surveillance is undertaken legally and ethically.  

Over 150 delegates from the fields of security, law enforcement, Government and academia are due to attend the two-day event, which will focus on the ethical challenges presented by the growing use of CCTV, ANPR, drones, facial recognition and Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the public realm. Risk Xtra is the Official Media Partner.

Speakers include Tony Porter, the UK’s Surveillance Camera Commissioner, who’ll be joined by senior representatives from police forces, Fire and Rescue Services and other organisations focused on public safety, crime prevention and national security.

‘Building Ethical Capacity into Surveillance Technology’

Synectics’ Martin Bonfield joins the event line-up. His detailed seminar will highlight how public concerns regarding surveillance ‒ especially those around the use of emerging technologies such as facial recognition and AI ‒ are shown to be greatly reduced if robust and demonstrable safeguards are in operation.

Those attending the session will gain a clear understanding of the tools available to help ensure that any public surveillance data can be captured, managed and shared in accordance with existing and evolving demands. 

The session will look specifically at solutions designed to support users in four key areas: the use of facial recognition, regulatory compliance (with, for example, the General Data Protection Regulation), data protection (cyber security) and evidence management.

Under the spotlight

To showcase emerging capabilities, Synectics will be demonstrating how its Synergy 3 Command and Control platform supports a wide range of safeguarding and compliance mechanisms, including comprehensive digital audit trails, automated workflows aligned to standard operating procedures and time-limited data storage.

The role played by highly secure, cloud-based evidence lockers ‒ which support secure, real-time authorised access to data ‒ will also be discussed, specifically in the context of inter-agency data-sharing.

Martin Bonfield

Bonfield informed Risk Xtra: “Synectics has been at the forefront of global surveillance solutions for over 30 years. We work closely with customers to tackle the complex issue of ethics surrounding CCTV use, data capture and monitoring, as well as the robust management of digital evidence. I’m looking forward to showing delegates examples of the smart technology available to ensure surveillance operations are effective, secure and compliant with legal and ethical frameworks – today, and years from now.”

As a premium sponsor, Synectics (exhibiting on Stand 15) will be showcasing its leading-edge technologies. Live demonstrations will run throughout the event to demonstrate how the tools explored in the seminar can be applied within a range of practical evidence management and incident response scenarios.

New wave of UK universities adopts SafeZone solution from CriticalArc

UK universities including the University of Greenwich, the University of South Wales, the University of East Anglia, the University of Manchester and the University of Central Lancashire are adopting CriticalArc’s SafeZone service for improved campus security.

With more than 25% of universities now using SafeZone across the UK, it has grown from being an innovative technology deployed by pioneering institutions to become a mainstream ‘must-have’ solution for the higher education sector.

SafeZone addresses key challenges for universities by enabling students and staff alike to quickly and easily reach their campus safety and security teams and by allowing first responders to respond to calls for assistance up to 50% faster.

It improves the safety, security and well-being of students and staff, both on campus and off, and raises security team preparedness for a full range of events they may face, including major incidents. SafeZone enhances student satisfaction as well as student well-being and is now helping universities to succeed globally as they work to attract and retain students with safer and more welcoming learning environments.

Through its advanced Command and Control software, SafeZone OmniGuard enhances team efficiency, with real-time situational awareness making it easier for command teams to see and co-ordinate resources to address incident ‘hotspots’. Safezone also supports heat mapping to enable patrol pattern optimisation and improves workplace Health and Safety, serving as a powerful lone worker solution.

Expanding the team

Announcing the latest wave of adoptions, CriticalArc confirms that it’s also expanding its team with the appointment of two new customer success managers. They will work closely with system users to spread Best Practice, provide support and help deliver maximum benefits from SafeZone.

Sean Edge takes on this important role for CriticalArc in the UK, while Karl Palma will be working with customers in Australia.

Darren Chalmers-Stevens, managing director for the EMEA and APAC regions at CriticalArc, stated: “With the number of SafeZone users now expanding rapidly, we’re investing not only in developing the technology and its capabilities, but also in delivering and sustaining high-level customer support for our growing network of users.”

In tandem with its success in the higher education sector, SafeZone is also being adopted increasingly in other key areas including implementations in the critical infrastructure, transport, utilities, Government and healthcare sectors, with rapidly developing markets in the US, Australia and, indeed, globally.

Multitone Electronics to debut Appear Crew and Ambulance Apps at BAPCO 2018 Exhibition and Conference

Multitone Electronics plc, a specialist in the design, manufacture and implementation of integrated communication systems, will debut its Appear Crew and Ambulance Apps for emergency teams and first responders on Stand J7 at the BAPCO Conference and Exhibition 2018, which is running at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 March.

Appear Crew uses Multitone’s highly successful Appear mobile platform to assist emergency crews with reliable and secure messaging. As a complement to a pager, the Appear Crew App registers a response from each crew member and tracks their progress to their station from whichever location they happen to be.

The system can also be used to track the movement of individual team members right to the fire station, showing locations on a map. This allows the Command and Control team to ensure that everyone’s accounted for when required.

Multitone’s Emergency Services major accounts manager Peter Eborall stated: “We anticipate great interest and demand for our Appear Crew App, which we’ve developed by working in close collaboration with Fire and Rescue Services. It has been extensively trialled and rigorously tested to ensure that it can be relied upon to provide the essential support needed to save lives.”

Eborall added: “In addition to fire and rescue crews, the Appear Crew App is ideally suited to meet the exacting communications requirements of both RNLI and Coastguard emergency teams.”

Also on Stand J7 is Multitone’s new Ambulance App, which has been designed specifically to assist and co-ordinate teams from full-time paramedics to Community First Responders. “Based upon our Appear Lite solution, the Ambulance App provides highly reliable contact, with proof-of-delivery for a proven audit trail,” added Eborall. “The App is highly secure, preventing sensitive information from being removed or screenshots being taken. This ensures confidentiality at all times.”

The Ambulance App sends an automatic acknowledgement when the recipient receives a message such that the Command and Control team know it has been read. The App features a clear and simple-to-use interface.

Johnson Controls releases latest version of CEM Systems AC2000 Security Management System

Johnson Controls has released CEM Systems AC2000 v8.0 Feature Pack 1, which offers new features that increase the performance, simplicity and scope of the AC2000 access control system suite from CEM Systems. The range of CEM Systems access control readers has also been enhanced with the release of the CEM S700s serial intelligent reader.

CEM Systems AC2000 v8.0 Feature Pack 1 includes improvements to the user experience with multi-language selection and an application search option as part of AC2000 Floatbar. Emerald audit history reports have been added for ‘Checklist’ and ‘Flight Info’ such that reports can be run on emerald transactions for checklists, gate allocations and flight selections. Other enhancements include the addition of Rolling Transaction Display within the AC2000 Security Hub Command and Control application.

The CEM Systems S700s is a next generation intelligent reader and controller housed in a single device, removing the need for an additional control panel in the system design. Designed for use with the AC2000 access control and security management system, the CEM Systems S700s controls access to restricted areas while providing users with an innovative and future-proof access control solution offering a variety of door modes.

The CEM Systems S700s has been designed to be as user friendly as possible and guide the end user though intuitive graphical messages displayed via the reader’s LCD. A full offline database ensures the reader has up-to-date card information when operating in off-line mode.

Further enhancements to the CEM hardware range include support for the CEM Systems S700 Exit Reader as an extension to the CEM Systems emerald intelligent access terminal, providing a similar look, feel and user experience across bi-directional doors.

*For more information visit www.cemsys.com

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service deploys Panasonic rugged tablets to assist front line firefighters

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is “transforming” working life for its firefighters on the front line by equipping them with Panasonic’s rugged Toughpad tablets to access vital information during emergency episodes.

The Fire and Rescue Service is deploying 13-inch Panasonic Toughbook CF-D1 tablets in the front cabs of its fire appliances. These Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) are permanently mounted in the front of the vehicle and connected to the existing Tetra Network. They will be used for providing vital information on the way to a call-out, such as sending status updates to Command and Control, outlining risk assessment requirements, vehicle safety data, safety data on any chemicals stored on site and details on the occupancy of the premises and nearby hydrant locations.

Smaller and lighter 10-inch Panasonic FZ-G1 Toughpad tablets are being installed in the back of the appliances for use by firefighters inside and outside of the vehicle when at the scene of an emergency. These devices will be used day-to-day for the asset management of equipment and inventory and, in the future, for providing valuable emergency information on site, such as vehicle crash rescue data, as well as for regular community duties such as home fire safety surveys and hydrant inspections.

John Barlow is responsible for modernising Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s front line communications devices. “We’re investing to change all the existing MDTs to a more agile device so as to allow the crews to work more efficiently and smartly,” explained Barlow. “The Panasonic devices are ideal for all the conditions in which we work. We can read the device in bright sunlight and it’s built to be used outside and in wet conditions without any problems. Feedback from field trials with the devices has been positive.”

In the future, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service sees other big advantages for firefighters in being able to use devices at the scene of an emergency. For example, at a road accident, firefighters can use the devices to identify important information about the safety features of a vehicle, such as airbags, such that they can quickly be turned off before trapped passengers are released from a vehicle).

“This type of use will be an absolute bonus for operations, making the task so much simpler and enabling the firefighters to work more effectively than ever,” enthused Barlow.

Commenting on the value the devices bring to Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, Callum Faint (Cambridgeshire’s area commander) informed Risk UK: “It’s a massive step forward. In the past, a member of the fire crew would have to remain in the cab of the fire engine. Now, being able to demount the information source and take it with us means that the information can be right there, on the scene. This really helps to improve our operational effectiveness.”

The Panasonic Computer Docking Solutions Team has designed the mounting solution for the Panasonic CF-D1 tablets in the front of the vehicles. The team used as much of the existing infrastructure as possible, such as the power management units, to keep costs down. It has also future-proofed the vehicles by fitting antennas that will work with the imminent introduction of the new Emergency Services Network.

For the FZ-G1 tablets, the Panasonic Computer Docking Solutions Team designed a bespoke bracket for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service that can be fitted on all of its vehicles generically. The design also incorporates into the bracket a handheld barcode reader, such that it could be installed in a convenient location next to the tablet.

The Panasonic Project Management Team is working closely with Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service and its nominated installation contractors to support the build and imaging of the devices alongside installing the units in the appliances. The deployment will be completed before the end of the Autumn.

London Digital Security Centre introduces ‘Cyber Crisis Simulation’ event to help businesses prepare for cyber breaches

The London Digital Security Centre (LDSC) is inviting senior representatives from SMEs across London to attend its ‘Cyber Crisis Simulation’ Breakfast Briefing at the University of Greenwich. The event takes place on Thursday 3 August from 10.00 am to noon. The ‘Cyber Crisis Simulation’ itself will be run by Cyber Rescue, which is one of the LDSC’s carefully selected partners.

Reputations are ruined when businesses are unprepared for the consequences of a cyber breach. With that in mind, this new event will help businesses to prepare for the day that happens so that they can act accordingly in mitigating disaster.

The simulation will be based on learnings from over 100 major data breaches and cover the following topics: why shock and ambiguity are common responses in the Boardroom, where Command and Control systems are stressed after a major breach, who expects what among regulators, customers, partners and the police, how the exponential growth in cyber attacks puts jobs on the line and what companies can do today to protect themselves from the cyber attacks of tomorrow.

There are an estimated one million SMEs operating in London and, each month, more than 1,000 of them report being the victim of a cyber crime or fraud to Action Fraud. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Report published in April this year found that just under half (46%) of all businesses have identified at least one breach or attack in the last year. Of those, 45% were micro or small businesses.

The new event is part of a series organised by the London Digital Security Centre to help protect businesses – and primarily micro to medium-sized concerns – to operate in a secure digital environment.

John Unsworth, CEO of the London Digital Security Centre, commented: “Small and medium-sized businesses shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that criminals don’t target them, or that they’re safe from online vulnerabilities. Any company that holds data is a viable target.”

For further details and to register for the event visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cyber-crisis-simulation-tickets-36271637444

Veracity showcasing end-to-end Command and Control solution at IFSEC International 2017

Veracity, a leading provider of solutions that solve real-world challenges in IP video systems, is showcasing a new suite of products at IFSEC International 2017 which neatly brings together the three cornerstones of its business: IP transmission, storage and display.

Following on from its acquisition of security Command and Control software manufacturer icomply, Veracity’s largest-ever IFSEC stand is built around a walk-through Control Room, promoting the company’s integrated security management platform powered by VTAS Pro.

Bringing together new and legacy third party video recording systems, VTAS Pro combines them with other security systems such as access control, LPR, guard tours and building management. This provides a “unified and coherent system” for the management and control of single or multiple sites, allowing system operators to be far more efficient in responding to incidents.

VTAS Pro is fully-integrated with Veracity’s TRINITY direct-to-storage architecture and, fundamental to that, the advanced COLDSTORE surveillance storage system. It also features a full video and media wall display option which can be reconfigured ‘on-the-fly’ and in response to specific incidents or emergency situations.

Live views may be mixed with playback and media streams such as broadcast news, online data streams, maps or other graphical displays.

This end-to-end Command and Control solution is highly scaleable and supports a large number of operator workstations, with shared incident management and alarm receiving co-ordination. It’s capable of handling thousands of remote sites.

The system can provide integration with access control, building management, intruder detection, VoIP intercom systems and video analytics including ANPR and facial recognition. Several native security functions can be added to the system in a modular, customisable way such as guard tour, lone worker monitoring, dispatch, alarm monitoring and key management.

Veracity will also be presenting its new HIGHWIRE Powerstar Base 4 Encoder Replacement Kit containing a HIGHWIRE Powerstar Base 4 unit, four HIGHWIRE Powerstar Camera units and a 57V DC power supply (region-specific). This product bundle is a simple and cost-effective replacement for legacy analogue video encoders, allowing the end user customer to upgrade to IP cameras by re-using the coax cable and powering the new IP cameras with PoE over coax.

*Veracity will be exhibiting on Stand F1050 at IFSEC International, which runs at London’s ExCeL Exhibition Centre in Docklands from 20-22 June

Reports of evidence loss on supposed eve of digital evidence mandate

Is it a coincidence that the revelations of evidence loss have hit the headlines as we approach the deadline of the Home Office mandate for digital evidence compliance, which comes into effect at the end of April? writes Jamie Wilson.

Given that, since the mandate was announced, there has been very little publicity surrounding the ‘stick’ approach towards driving forces to implement digital evidence management strategies, I suspect that it is indeed a coincidence.

The BBC has revealed the findings of a joint Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary report which says that there was a “widespread issue” involving the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) “misplacing discs containing sensitive evidence and information”.

For members of the public reading such an article it is sure to shock, but for those working in police forces right across England and Wales it may not be such a huge surprise.

Jamie Wilson

Discs are essentially physical pieces of evidence that need to be manually logged, booked-in, stored and retrieved, etc. With so many discs in circulation and physical storage space being limited, it’s perhaps not unexpected that on occasion they can be misplaced.

In 2014, the then policing and criminal justice minister Damian Green announced that by the end of April this year, all forces in England and Wales must be capable of sharing evidence digitally with the CPS and the courts.

One of the anticipated outcomes that this initiative would lead to was a significant drop in the use of discs as forces move towards lower cost, more secure and faster digital methods of capturing, securely storing and sharing evidence – recordings from Command and Control, body-worn camera feeds, videos and photos, etc.

What I’ve seen in the past 12 months from forces I’ve visited, or spoken with, has been hugely positive. There’s undoubtedly a concerted effort being made by senior officers to push forward the digital evidence agenda.

They’re being driven not just by a mandated obligation (if indeed this remains the case?), but a recognition of the operational rewards it can bring in closing cases quicker and making far better use of scant resources, enabling officers to do what they’re trained to do rather than creating, curating and couriering discs.

Jamie Wilson is Public Safety Marketing Manager (EMEA) at NICE Systems