Case Studies - St Columbas School, Renfrewshire

Brian Davidson, Scottish Communications Operations Director, was approached by St Columbas School, Kilmalcolm, Renfrewshire, to design and quote for a CCTV system.

Mr Alex Galbraith, the schools Estates Manager, had read of the company through the informative company news lettter which  had previously been submitted to him.  Thankfully the information caught Alex’s attention enough to invite us to discuss our services and quote.

The client wanted to move from reliance on  security guards  overnight and when the school was closed and utilise modern technology to protect the grounds of this 19th century, historic school.

Scottish Communications solution was to propose a CCTV system with movement detection covering the perimeter of the grounds which activate cameras covering the area.  When activated the system records all cameras locally and activates an alarm signal  within the Corps of Commissioners state of the art, CCTV Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) in Glasgow.  The ARC views all cameras as if the operator was within the school. If anything suspicious is viewed the police are notified.  The ARC operator can even make announcements over a tannoy system warning persons entering the grounds that they are being monitored and politely ask them to move on.

The system also allows school management to monitor the grounds during the day as required. The system has now successfully operated since the 1st January 2010 and there are plans to protect the senior school with the same modern system.

Mr Galbraith had the following to say about their system. "We wanted a permanent surveillance system that would not only protect the school buildings out with school hours but would also give staff and parents the comfort of knowing the school environs were being monitored during the day ensuring the safety of the pupils. We are very pleased with the operational capability of the system and it is working exceptionally well for us."

Brian Davidson said “The client was very clear and forward thinking with regard to what they wanted to achieve with their CCTV system and, because of this commitment, we designed and delivered a professional system that covered all areas.   St Columbas may be an old historic school but management certainly embrace modern technology to ensure protection of both pupils and property. This was emphasised by the level of assistance given during installation by the IT department”.

For further information on remotely monitored CCTV systems please contact Brian Davidson at our Perth Office or Millar Kennedy in Aberdeen.