IP Platform Secures Belgian Courts
- By Steven Titch
- Jul 24, 2008
The Belgian Ministry of Justice is turning to IP-based security platforms for new courthouses in Ghent and Antwerp.
The new 600,000 square-foot courthouse in Ghent consists of a fully-secure environment that houses holding cells, court rooms, hearing rooms and offices, with public areas running throughout. The security facilities are used by the police and security staff. The system integrates CCTV, video-intercom and access control into a single platform using common software interface designed and installed by Fabricom-GTI, a local systems integrator.
Fabricom-GTI selected IndigoVision’s IP-based CCTV system, and used the system’s the software development kit to integrate it with Icaros, Fabricom-GTI's security and building management system. Alongside access control, intruder and fire detection and other building related systems, an Icaros workstation gives the operator seamless access to all the unique IndigoVision features for alarm and video management.
“The guard works with one software interface,” explains Filip Heyndricx, who manages security operations for the Dutch part of Ghent. “All messages are presented in a uniform way and give the guard impression that it’s all one device. Behind the Icaros software are several systems using several techniques.”
Courthouse security presents a number of challenges, says Heyndricx. There are holding cells, where criminal defendants are held before their cases are heard, that have one set of requirements. There are judges’ chambers reside and storage areas where important documents not only need to be secured, they also need to be protected against destruction by fire or other hazards. An access control system is mandatory to separate the public zones from the office zones and the prison cells. All of these goals need to be achieved with a limited budget and the lowest possible cost.
“A courthouse is quite special,” an IndigoVision spokesperson wrote in an e-mail responding to questions. “One special issue is that some people must be secured against escape out, and other people against getting into the building. All security and safety systems need to take the goals into account. Fire detection, for example, is very special. In a normal building, fire detection systems automatically open doors to allow people to get out of the building, something problematic for a courthouse that includes prison cells. Also a courthouse is a public building. It is important that the general public doesn’t have the feeling that they are walking into a prison.”
To achieve a timely and appropriate response when there is an incident, security personnel needs to stay focused on the incident and the security of the building without being occupied by the different security systems, the spokesperson wrote. Responses to incidents are pre-programmed, the different systems must work in cooperation to avoid situations, such as a person entering an area where the intrusion detection system is still armed.
John W. Verity contributed to this story.
About the Author
Steven Titch is editor of Network-Centric Security magazine.