15 Nov 2017

Radio Service links multiple county-wide Shopwatch Schemes on CCTV/radio project

A central CCTV/radio HUB has been set up to cut crime across East Lancashire. The HUB based at the King George's Hall, Blackburn covers nearly 250 cameras across five districts (Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle and Preston)

The HUB operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and has access to CCTV images, Shopwatch/Pubwatch radios and police radios to help reduce response times to incidents throughout the area

Icom radio dealer, Radio Service has installed a network of Shopwatch and Pubwatch radio schemes using Icom’s RMS Net Management system, networked over Radio over IP (ROIP) by a series for VE-PG3 controllers across the county. The VE-PG3 controllers (pictured below) allow all radio calls to be routed centrally to the CCTV/HUB, allowing the operator to quickly monitor any incidents and take action where necessary. The radio schemes use Icom IC-F4162, IC-F4102D and IC-F2000 two-way radios and repeaters for coverage.

Greg Wimlett, Radio Service’s technical director, said: “Some councils were struggling to find funding for staffing for their CCTV rooms. Some had closed down CCTV monitoring altogether and some were monitoring for a very short time. So, the benefit is that they get their CCTV system monitored 24/7 in a central control room with all the Shopwatch and Pubwatch links fed through to a central facility.