Press release
Solihull Community Housing protects tenants
across the Borough with ntl:Telewest Business
- £2.5 million CCTV system ensures vandals are caught on camera
and prosecuted
- Staff can monitor the area in safety of a control room
22, May 2007. ntl:Telewest Business, the
supplier of communications services to the public and private
sectors, has announced that it has teamed up with Solihull
Community Housing to protect residents using Internet Protocol (IP)
CCTV.
Solihull Community Housing is the Arm’s Length
Management Organisation (ALMO) that was set up in 2004 to run the
housing service on behalf of Solihull Council. There are
approximately 11,400 properties within the Borough of
Solihull. On behalf of the Council, Solihull Community
Housing is responsible for providing services such as housing and
homelessness advice, tenancy and estate management, repairs and
services for older and vulnerable people. The installation of
ntl:Telewest Business’ Metro Ethernet VPN is enabling the
organisation to facilitate CCTV monitoring and a full concierge
facility for 42 high rise blocks and four remote sites in the north
of the Borough, ensuring residents feel protected.
Historically, Solihull Community Housing has
used traditional caretaking services to patrol sites, but staff
could only monitor a limited number of buildings at any one
time. With ntl:Telewest Business providing the core,
high-speed network in the north of the Borough, 10-15 cameras could
be installed in each high rise block, monitoring lifts, corridors
and door entry. Operators can now observe what is going on 24
hours a day, seven days a week, both inside and outside of the
building from a control room. In addition, a concierge service
enables tenants to speak directly to control room operators if they
are concerned about anyone trying to gain entry into the
premises.
“With vandalism costing the Council £500,000 a
year, we felt that investment in ntl:Telewest Business’ network,
enabling CCTV monitoring, would soon pay for itself,” said Greg
Lakin, M&E Operations Manager, Solihull Community Housing. “The
new solution, which covers multiple sites has changed the way our
operators work. They can now monitor what is happening from the
safety of the control room.”
Lakin continued: “Since the CCTV system has
been installed we have dealt with numerous cases of criminal
damage, fly-tipping, violence and graffiti and prosecutions have
resulted from evidence caught on camera. The difference the
offering has made to our tenants is invaluable as they feel more
secure and confident.”
“Due to a rise in crimes such as fly-tipping,
anti-social behaviour and violence, councils are starting to look
for increasingly sophisticated methods of both deterring criminals
and gathering evidence,” said Christopher Small, Director for
Public Sector, ntl:Telewest Business. “Solihull Community Housing
is a perfect example of how technologies, such as IP CCTV, can help
a community feel safer as well as providing essential evidence for
police.”
As a result of the new CCTV solution, Solihull
Community Housing is reinforcing strong links with the area’s
police force and it is hoped that the organisation will soon be
able to stream live coverage to officers via PDAs. Solihull
Community Housing is also investigating the possibility of
providing internet access, using ntl:Telewest Business’ network, to
tenants in the high rise blocks.
About ntl:Telewest Business
ntl:Telewest Business, part of the UK’s second
largest fixed-line telecommunications company, is a leading
communications provider to businesses, public sector organisations
and service providers in the UK. It delivers a complete portfolio
of voice, data and internet solutions nation-wide.
ntl:Telewest Business sales and support
teams are located across the UK, in close proximity to our
customers, as part of a commitment to deliver superior customer
service.
ntl:Telewest Business delivers services over
the Group’s £13bn investment in its state-of-the-art
infrastructure giving business customers access to the largest
alternative network in the UK.
ntl:Telewest Business is trusted to provide
critical communications to high profile customers
including: Heathrow's Terminal 5, Birmingham City Council and
Cambridge County Council.
For further information go to http://www.ntltelewestbusiness.co.uk/
ntl:Telewest Business press
contacts:
Rebecca Tyrer
ntl:Telewest
Business
T: 01256 754715
E: rebecca.tyrer@virginmedia.co.uk
Lucy Wimmer, Press Office
Rainier PR
T: 020 7494 6587
E: lwimmer@rainierpr.co.uk