Conway Security Products will be attending the latest Global MSC seminar to be held in Bristol on the 6^th of March 2012.

One of the topics of the Global MSC seminar at the Bristol Royal Marriott will be: “CCTV budget cuts and the riots – how did we adapt?” Over 1,500 people appeared in court as a result of the riots, and the UK’s prison facilities were severely stretched. Conway Security Products have always been a key player in protecting civic space, and the proven longevity of their products makes the Conway range attractive in times of budgetary austerity.

As one of the few manufacturers to produce CCTV equipment entirely from a UK base, Conway are able to adapt their offerings to make units suitable for integration with older installations, so keeping legacy equipment functioning so long as it remains fit for purpose. With spending from the public purse being examined closely, this kind of ‘backward compatibility’ is attractive to politicians not to mention the green lobby.

Speakers at the Global MSC seminar will include Dr Peter Fussey, an academic who has co-developed England’s first MSc course in terrorism studies at the University of East London. Dr Fussey has published many papers on protecting public space from terrorist attacks. He has advised the Metropolitan Police on radicalisation issues and is part of a research team that has recently been awarded £1.2m to investigate enhancements to counter terrorism strategies in the UK’s crowded public spaces.

Conway has a number of products that have proven track records in the public space CCTV market including pan and tilts, Heritage format domes and the range of cameras housings that made Conway so synonymous with the CCTV industry. A selection of these products will be on display from Conway as well as a number of other products including a new version of the CM230IR vandal-resistant corner mounted camera.

UK-based manufacturer Conway Security Products have supplied a large number of their custodial corner-mounted cameras as part of a refurbishment and updating project at a high-security correctional facility in New South Wales.

The project called for Conway’s CM230IR, the standard corner-mounted camera, plus the external CM230IR-EX which has been fitted in the individual exercise yards attached to each high-security cell.

Both the CM230IR and CM230IR-EX feature a day/night camera with a wide-angle lens which delivers exceptional room coverage, minimising any chance of blind spots.

Conway supplied the units through their Australian partner Techniche Security & Surveillance. Lee Evans, Techniche’s Managing Director, said: “The fact that Conway produce all their units entirely at their own manufacturing base means they can be extremely responsive to specific requirements on major applications such as this one. It was important that Conway were able to supply the second unit [the CM230IR-EX ] with a higher level of environmental protection so that the unit could be used externally. ”

Lee continued: “By having a common core in terms of the optical components for these two units, the stockholding of spares is simplified. The Conway cameras score highly in terms of ease and speed of installation which are crucial at a prison where disruption to regular activities and engineers’ time on site must be minimised.”

The flush-mounted front fascia of the CM230IR described here minimises the risk of the unit being used as a ligature point, a crucial consideration in the custodial sector. In addition to this prison application, the cameras are also being used at juvenile detention centres, custody suites, police premises and immigration detention centres throughout the UK and in Europe.

The inclusion of energy-efficient 940nm IR LED illumination ensures that the camera can deliver high-quality pictures regardless of lighting conditions. 940nm IR is invisible to the naked eye, making it highly discreet. Observation of cell occupants who may be in a distressed state can continue for their own protection under dimmed lighting or even in complete darkness. An optional integrated microphone can provide audio monitoring.

Sydney-based Techniche provide integrated building management and security-related systems throughout Australia. The company has wide-ranging expertise and products to call on and is able to offer consultative advice, system design and implementation in all aspects of physical security.

Conway Security Products have supplied their external camera housings to the £260m New Tyne Crossing between Jarrow and North Shields in the north-east of England. 

The enclosures being used are a variant on Conway’s stainless steel EH4/ss housing. The unit, which is manufactured to weatherproof level IP66, is usually produced in 304-grade stainless steel but for this project, installers 2020 Vision Technology asked for 316 grade. The request was in order to meet rigorous Department for Transport requirements

All of Conway’s units are manufactured in their entirety at the company’s headquarters in Buckinghamshire, England, and this made it possible to provide a tailor-made solution within short lead times which was a major benefit for the integrator.

Steve Hall of 2020 Vision Technology described the benefits of using the Conway equipment. He said: “Most camera housings come off-the-shelf to a standard specification and the manufacturer is not in a position to make changes, and certainly not promptly. But Conway met our brief on the grade of stainless steel and also created bespoke bracketry which meant the housings could be mounted in a manner that allows them to withstand exceptional vibration levels caused by traffic volumes. The design also optimised cable access and containment issues for our engineers, another plus factor in an environment where space is at a premium.”

Chris Newman Managing Director of Conway, said: “The application had a number of challenges for the installer. By offering a solution that was a variant of the EH4/ss along with a mounting bracket that was based on design and manufacturing principals already been proven in similar applications throughout the UK we could quickly and confidently supply products that would meet and exceeded these challenges.”

The New Tunnel Crossing became fully operational on the 21^st of November 2011 after a construction period that commenced in October 2008.

Conway Security Products are supplying their vandal-resistant ceiling and wall-mounted camera housings to the Dutch railway network, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), for use at underground and overland stations across large areas of Holland. Stations already fitted with the equipment include hubs such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Breda.

Conway’s units were specified and installed by the company’s Dutch partner, Hacousto Videotechniek, who have also implemented Bosch IP cameras and a video management system from Canadian innovator Genetec.

The Conway housings and Bosch cameras are being used for monitoring of passenger flow and volume at station concourses, and use of smartcard electronic ticketing similar to the London ‘Oyster’ card and Hong Kong ‘Octopus’ card. Much of the video monitoring is retrospective event-driven analysis, and the end-user is benefiting from high-quality (up to 4CIF images at 25 frames per second) which can be used for evidential purposes if necessary.

Chris Newman, a director of Conway, said: “Anyone using the UK rail and underground network will be familiar with the EHC4 and EHW4 camera housings as they have been used extensively for many years and were recently installed on the Stockholm Metro. It is this kind of pedigree which attracted Hacousto and their client.”

The EHC4 and EHW4 combine simplicity with robust performance and flexibility in terms of usage. Installers working on railway applications both above and below ground are often limited in the scope for camera locations and must choose products that are adaptable. The EHC4 can be mounted both on the surface of a concrete wall or, just as easily, be part of a recess application if the station infrastructure has fascias.

Similarly, the standard EHC4 can be mounted on a wall to deliver a ‘portrait’ angle of view along a corridor, for example. On applications such as railways, minimising installation and ‘downtime’ is critical, and if a universal solution is available to the installer it will save engineering hours and money by reducing disruption to the site’s core activity.

The units being supplied to Hacousto are painted yellow to suit their customer’s strong corporate identity. The whole manufacturing process is conducted at Conway’s factory in the UK, and being able to finish products in colours to meet site applications or corporate identities is another reason why customers turn to Conway for this type of solution.

Conway’s EHC4 and EHW4 camera housings (the codes indicate ceiling and wall-mounted variants) are manufactured from 1.4003 grade stainless steel and are securely closed in two positions. They feature a cast acrylic screen. Ingress rating is IP65 which means the housings give cameras comprehensive protection against dust and fumes as well as a familiar contaminant at all rail applications, brake pad particles which can be particularly intrusive. The housings have been designed to deter vandals and can be used with most major camera brands. A screen demister option (12-36v or 110-240v) is available.

With headquarters at Berkel en Rodenrijs in western Holland, Hacousto is an international contractor and consultant who develop and implement high-end solutions in video, public address and voice alarm (PA/VA), biometrics and fire alarms. Video surveillance, audio communication and broadcast automation are core activities, with delivery usually being on a turnkey basis across several disciplines.

The Dutch railway network has a history that goes back as far as 1839 when a 16km journey was made between Amsterdam and Haarlem. Today the network has 392 stations served by 2,600km of track with 2,000km being electrified. As with other European countries, EC directives have led to a separation of infrastructure and operating companies. The system has been divided into franchises with Nederlandse Spoorwegen operating the stations and dominating the passenger market with 4,800 scheduled trains daily serving 1.1 million passengers.

Conway Security Products will once again be exhibiting at the Safe Newcastle and Global MSC Security Seminar. The event takes place on the 8^th of November 2011 and is held at the Gosforth Park Marriot in Newcastle.

The event is now in its fifth year and has a reputation for being highly informative while at the same time retaining a highly relaxed atmosphere.

Conway will be exhibiting a wide range of its products, mainly aimed at customers working in public space or critical infrastructure applications.

Visitors to the seminar can attend short presentations held throughout the day with a  selection of topics from technology innovation through to legislative changes and their impact on our industry.

For more information click here to visit MSC Global website