CCTV ‘TAKES CENTRE STAGE’ @ BBC's PROMS IN THE PARK

A 10,000-strong crowd who turned out to see the legendary Chris de Burgh perform for BBC’s Proms in the Park at Buile Hill Park in Salford, were kept safe like no other music fans ever before. Organisers from Salford City Council provided CCTV for the audience, to prevent and predict potential trouble spots in the crowd, using the advanced Intelligent Moving Camera known as IMC, from Viseum. The camera monitored an area the size of 14 football pitches to look out for potential incidents, all by itself, without human intervention.

The reaction of everyone was that of sheer astonishment; after seeing the camera moving around watching suspect activity, people learned it was completely automated and not being controlled by a person. Whilst providing a key benefit of not infringing anyone’s privacy, this camera’s performance provided reassurance for the audience that they were being actively protected, ensuring the ultimate deterrent to would-be-offenders.

The IMC was only specified on the Tuesday prior to Saturday’s concert; a major advantage of this camera is its ability to be rapidly deployed in such circumstances. After recently watching one of their new IMCs perform excellently while protecting another part of Salford, the Council expressed a desire to have a further one to protect their event, so Viseum immediately conjured up a solution for use at Proms in the Park.

The costs for conventional CCTV coverage of this event would have been astronomical. It would have taken around 130 traditional CCTV cameras to provide similar coverage, and they still would not have provided the same amount of close up evidence as a single innovative IMC camera. Prior to the availability of this camera, Salford City Council simply would not have had any CCTV at this event. Danny Hoy, facilities manager for Salford City Council, said: "What we like about the IMC is that it will catch evidence compared to other cameras that normally point the wrong way and miss all the pertinent action. The IMC’s six fixed lenses with pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) functions, make it ideal for covering large scale events. Traditional cameras can only look at a fraction of a space at any one time, unlike the Viseum model which constantly protects the entire area. It also works without the need for an operator, which saves both time and money."
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The IMC is a well established and proven technology, research demonstrating a fantastic success rate in clearing up problems. This added value in proactively yet cost-effectively preventing such problems, is why an increasing number of organisations and local authorities in particular are turning to the Viseum IMC.

Viseum are the owners of the patent protecting the many IMC products in the marketplace, and responsible for the advanced algorithms that drive these products. The Viseum technology was developed to support resource-stretched security organisations. Stuart Thompson, managing director of Viseum, said: "I am obviously delighted that it’s finding a wide variety of uses, and CCTV is now no longer just an option for large corporates with big security budgets."

Another key to the camera’s success is in the fact that it can be pre-programmed to monitor particular activities in particular areas, but it will still look out for incidents in the many areas where random crimes could occur. At the Proms concert the camera was scheduled to look for any type of "crowd surge or kerfuffle". Group 4, main show contractors, commented: "This system is extremely easy to use and significantly adds to crowd protection. Having any type of CCTV at these types of event is rare. This may now have changed with the introduction of this technology." Local police present at the event commented: "Impressive", "certainly very clever technology", and "amazing!"

"The BBC had never seen anything like it", added Stuart Thompson. "It took us a while to explain that nobody was operating it, and there was no danger of us getting in their way as it was totally automated."

The IMC can follow instructions to focus on anything from anti-social behaviour to street drinking, making it an invaluable resource for anyone concerned with security in any environment. Viseum will showcase the IMC at its technology event in Salford on Wednesday 16 September, where many local authorities and commercial organisations are attending to see the IMC in action and learn more about what can now be achieved with CCTV.

Further details about Viseum’s unique IMC solutions can be found on the website at www.viseum.co.uk
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Notes to editors
For further information about Viseum’s technology day at the Express by Holiday Inn Manchester - Salford Quays, on Wednesday 16 September, contact Melissa Walcott,
Viseum Events Manager, Mobile: +44 (0)7526 104250.


Press contact
Jon Gardner
BeyondPR
Mobile: 07930 697773
DDI: 0114 275 6996

REF: VIS001 – Salford Proms