UK School Deploys Avigilon HD Surveillance System

  • Nov 29, 2010

Avigilon recently announced that Walsall Academy in the United Kingdom has deployed the Avigilon HD surveillance system to safeguard its 1,150 secondary students and protect high-value areas such as its state-of-the-art technology and music suites. Recognized for its exemplary student behavior, Walsall Academy selected the Avigilon HD surveillance system for its ability to significantly improve the performance of its existing analog-based system and extend coverage across campus to create a calm and purposeful environment.

“Limited by budget, we chose to upgrade to the Avigilon Control Center Enterprise network video management software platform -- the only solution designed specifically for HD surveillance -- to  enhance system management and dramatically improve image quality of our existing surveillance infrastructure,” said Adrian Bowater, director of finance at Walsall Academy. “The surveillance system is critical to our ability to track students’ behavior, reduce horseplay and petty theft, and has had a significant impact on student behaviour across campus.”

Administrators seamlessly manage the hybrid surveillance system using Avigilon Control Center Enterprise NVMS. The Academy installed Avigilon HD cameras to monitor main entrances, parking lots and corridors, coat rooms and technology suites and also installed Avigilon analog video encoders to boost the performance of its existing analog-based cameras which are located throughout the interior of the school.

An Avigilon HD NVR stores up to six weeks of continuous surveillance video -- an improvement over its previous system, which could only store seven days of footage. The Avigilon HD Surveillance System operates 24x7 and is monitored live by administrators during the day and remotely by key users if necessary.

Enhanced image quality and advanced functionality have improved overall security at the Academy, causing a ripple effect amongst students and contributing to good overall behavior. Because of its user-friendly interface and ease-of-management, Walsall Academy has been able to train more users on the Avigilon HD Surveillance System to share the workload and achieve greater investigative success.

Users can now search for details in a third of the time previously required and can quickly and easily export video to share with local law enforcement.  By leveraging its fixed assets and improving the performance of its analog cameras, the Academy has saved significant installation and maintenance costs, and was able to upgrade to high definition surveillance for the same cost as simply adding analog cameras.

“Student safety has become a top priority for England’s Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED,) which carries out hundreds of school inspections each week,” said Alexander Fernandes, president and CEO of Avigilon. “The Avigilon HD Surveillance System gives Walsall Academy a reliable and highly effective way to monitor activity and ensure students’ safety, well-being, and good behavior -- helping the school achieve excellent results not only with OFSTED, but with students and parents alike.”

 

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