Anti-social behaviour is an issue known all too well for local governments working with finite resources to combat crime. The adverse behaviour can lead to costly damage and unsafe environments for local residents and, if left unchecked, undesirable areas to live.
So, how can local governments effectively ‘multiply their force’ to achieve better security for local residents?
According to Site Sentry Director Paul McKiernan, smart surveillance measures are a clear solution to achieving a safer environment for local residents, and councils are becoming increasingly interested in scalable CCTV systems.
“Every council has its rangers and security patrols but, like police, they cannot be everywhere at once,” Mr McKiernan said.
“So, we’ve created a solution to that limitation; Site Sentry.”
Site Sentry is a CCTV system that uses modern technology and intentional design features to prevent or assist in combatting crime.
With Site Sentry units positioned strategically around the localities, local governments can achieve 24/7 surveillance and a strong visual presence, allowing them to effectively allocate their resources while providing the residence with a greater sense of safety.
“Site Sentry works with the rangers and law enforcement to put more eyes on the ground, targeting trouble hot spots and locations like parks where anti-social behaviour is often a problem,” Mr McKiernan said.
Standing six metres tall and weighing over a tonne with built-in LED floodlights, strobes and a loudspeaker system, Site Sentry units achieve a powerful presence to deter anti-social behaviour before it takes place, as a first line of defence.
Mr McKiernan said one of the major deterrents of local crime was a visually obvious protective presence.
“You can’t have a police officer in every council carpark so, Site Sentry surveillance systems are ideal tools to compensate for this,” he said.
In the event that anti-social behaviour does occur, the units include push-to-talk functionality and monitor and record all activity, with the footage accessible in real-time from any tablet, phone, or computer that is connected with the device.
A scalable system for better protection
“The feedback from Western Australian city and regional councils around community protection measures has been they want a ‘scalable’ CCTV solution,” Mr McKiernan said.
The Site Sentry units are mobile and solar powered so can be installed in any location.
Site Sentry deploy, set up and configure the Site Sentry CCTV systems, freeing up rangers to focus on other priorities including patrols.
The Site Sentry platforms also allow the councils to scale up the number of CCTV assets during peak times over the summer period or for specific events and scale back during quieter times during winter with all maintenance and system upgrades the responsibility of Site Sentry.
“This means the council does not have depreciating assets sitting in their storage yards,” Mr McKiernan said.
He said Site Sentry worked side-by-side with the council security teams, rangers and WA Police to monitor and manage the systems to prevent crime.
“We offer a really revolutionary solution with the most advanced technology from around the world that smoothly integrates into the council’s own monitoring station.”
In the last six months, many councils throughout Australia have adopted the crime deterrent technology thanks to its reliability, convenience and effectiveness.
Site Sentry in action
Site Sentry Director Jason Nuttman said the company was the only Western Australian Local Government (WALGA) certified rapid deployment security supplier in the state and that gave councils great confidence in the company.
Within the City of Wanneroo, Site Sentry units have been used to monitor local skate parks to enhance safety for surrounding residents, the users of the skate parks and families with young children who frequently use the amenities.
“The deployment of a Site Sentry had proved a real success and was a great example of collaborative working,” Mr Nuttman said.
“It is really satisfying to see. Members of the community even took to Facebook to say how great the results were, with residents and skate park users enjoying the park and feeling safe.”
Thanks to Site Sentry’s License Plate Recognition technology, police were also able to capture the licence plates of vehicles involved in suspicious activity.
“Police were able to monitor the vehicles involved, prepared for further investigations if necessary,” Mr Nuttman said.
“The addition of a Site Sentry proved a real success and was a great example of collaborative working.”
Mr McKiernan said neither the police nor the City of Wanneroo were aware of any complaints since the cameras had been installed and the feedback from councils had been extremely promising.
“It’s been proven that having Site Sentry units in problem areas has reduced police callouts by up to 80 per cent,” he said.
