More eyes, greater intelligence: Twickenham Stadium controls its perimeter beyond match day
1 Jul 2017
“Wireless cameras on the front of the buildings have proven to be a huge asset. Following the initial installation, we noticed an individual attaching a scanner to the cash machine. We’d never had this additional vision before and therefore would not have identified this fraudulent activity prior to the installation.” Phil Parker, Venue Operations Manager at Twickenham Stadium.
Mission
Twickenham Stadium, the home of England Rugby and
the second largest stadium in the UK, is now utilising
Axis technology to future-proof its security processes
and integrate analytics into its day-to-day surveillance
activities. The stadium was set to host many highprofile
matches during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and
the operations team wanted to future-proof its security
practices and modernise its technology to ensure match
goers and venue workers were safe during the event.
Axis’ partner Vindex Systems, a market leading systems
integrator, recommended Axis’ innovative technology.
Solution
To secure the stadium’s vast perimeter 24/7, Twickenham
Stadium chose 20 AXIS P1425-LE Network Cameras
with infrared capabilities. Utilising Digital Barrier analytics,
the cameras have been strategically placed
around the stadium’s perimeter, automatically alerting
the operations team if an intruder attempts to climb the
fence. In addition, 18 AXIS M3007-PV Network Cameras
have been integrated inside the stadium to monitor daily
activities, such as conferences and maintenance work.
A further 33 AXIS Q6045-E Network Cameras have
been deployed to monitor activity in the concourse, lift
lobbies and key public areas. All of the legacy analogue
cameras communicate via six AXIS Q7436 Video
Encoder Blades and a Genetec VMS, improving the
image quality of the analogue cameras already in use.
Axis’ innovative Zipstream technology, which lowers
bandwidth and storage requirements by an average of
50 per cent or more, is helping the operations team
cope with the increased data demands.
Result
Twickenham Stadium hosts between 25 and 30 rugby
matches in a calendar year, however, it is when games are
not being played that improvement in security and health
& safety has been most readily felt. During the Rugby
World Cup, several potentially serious security incidents
were uncovered through the utilisation of Axis technology.
Beyond the World Cup, continued surveillance
means health & safety issues are flagged almost daily.
With many contractors working onsite all year around, as
well as public stadium tours and regular conferences,
constant surveillance is paramount.
More eyes, greater intelligence, enhanced
security
Before the modernisation, Twickenham Stadium utilised
analogue CCTV equipment without analytic capabilities.
Vindex Systems steered the operations team through a
smooth regeneration of its equipment, upgrading to
network camera technology from Axis. This led to a
proliferation of cameras, ensuring enhanced visibility
during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and maintaining this
beyond match day for greater health & safety and 24/7
border surveillance, guaranteeing no unauthorised
access to the venue.
“The aim of the installation was not only to update what
we already had, but to push our security processes way
beyond what was available before,” said Phil Parker,
Venue Operations Manager at Twickenham Stadium.
“The project wasn’t just about replacing existing
locations, but increasing the amount of coverage, and
consistency of that coverage, throughout the stadium.
We’ve added 40 new locations, the majority of which
were AXIS P1425-LE cameras including built-in Digital
Barrier analytics. This means if a person attempts to
climb a fence and crosses an invisible barrier, an alert is
instantly sent to the team advising of a breach, helping
to swiftly resolve incidents.”
Shifting from reactive surveillance to
proactive intelligence
There is a vast amount of movement both inside and
outside Twickenham Stadium - not only on a match day.
A constant stream of contractors visits the site;
corporate events take place on a regular basis; and members
of the public can often be seen on stadium tours.
Being alert to the security and health and safety issues
surrounding these activities is of significant importance.
Utilising AXIS M3007-PV and AXIS Q6045-E Network
Cameras, Twickenham Stadium’s operations team can
identify the poor practice of contractors on site, from not
cordoning working zones correctly, to working at height
without authorisation. The majority of incidents identified
at Twickenham Stadium through the use of network
camera technology are health and safety related.
The identification of this type of incident used to rely on
physical patrols, meaning security staff could only see
what was happening when it was taking place directly in
their vicinity.
Propelling Twickenham Stadium into the
future through technology
With an increased amount of footage being captured, it
is essential that Twickenham Stadium is able to store
the data in order to help with post-incident reporting
and investigative work. Axis’ Zipstream technology has
played a crucial role in reducing bandwidth and storage
requirements through analysing and optimising the
network camera’s video stream in real-time. Scenes
containing interesting details are recorded in full image
quality and resolution, while other areas of low-interest,
such as a parking area, are filtered out. This means
Twickenham Stadium has the capacity to hold a larger
amount of footage to help with investigative work than
was previously available.
Clive Talbot, Director of Vindex Systems, said, “We’ve
been working with Twickenham Stadium since July 2015
in order to prepare the stadium for the 2015 Rugby
World Cup and beyond. We have an excellent relationship
with the operation’s team; our specialists regularly
visit the site to provide on the job training and ongoing
support to assist with the integration of the camera
system. We also have many new projects in the pipeline,
including expanding surveillance coverage into the
external car parking areas and the re-development of
the East Stand.”
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More eyes, greater intelligence: Twickenham Stadium controls its perimeter beyond match day
Axis Communications
http://www.axis.com
Email Us
T: 01582 283760
1 Capability Green
LU1 3LU
Luton, Bedfordshire
United Kingdom
See Axis Communications at IFSEC International 2019
Axis Communications will be exhibiting on Stand IF920 at IFSEC International 2019, 18-20 June, ExCeL, London, UK
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