With incidents of theft, vandalism and anti-social behaviour Sawbridgeworth Town Council wanted to upgrade its surveillance capability to cover shopping areas, main thoroughfares and its new town council offices. Following a thorough technology evaluation, Sawbridgeworth selected Sunstone IP Systems for its forward thinking approach encompassing Idis Direct IP full HD cameras, Idis video management software and a digital wireless network to keep infrastructure and installation costs to a minimum. The Sunstone team demonstrated how next generation technologies from Idis, including the intuitive software platform, would support the detection of criminal activity and ensure public safety.

Sunstone installed a digital point to multi-point wireless network throughout the town with link speeds in excess of 100mbps per location. The network currently supports external Direct IP dome cameras, installed on existing Hertfordshire County Council owned lamp posts, back to Direct IP network video recorders (NVRs) located in Sawbridgeworth’s town council offices. The vandal proof, day and night cameras feature infrared, audio input and output as well as motorised vari-focal lenses for ease of configuration. The cameras provide coverage of the town centre, including a major road junction and thoroughfare in and out of London, plus the new town council premises.

The Sunstone designed system provides council staff with a centralised monitoring capability, while giving Hertfordshire Police remote access to full HD footage in order to detect and solve crime including while on the move via tablets. To date the Direct IP solution has provided vital evidence for three crimes since its implementation in the late summer of 2014, and accoring to the company, has become a blueprint for town centre surveillance in the Hertfordshire and Essex area.

Richard Bowran, Town Clerk of Sawbridgeworth Town Council, said, "Frustrated with much of the dated technology and inflexible, expensive service levels on offer we talked with Sunstone about their innovative approach to providing a solution for Sawbridgeworth. Their solution fits in with our conservation area, covers with remarkable clarity the key areas of the town and is expandable for the future. Commended by Hertfordshire Police, it has already proved its worth in safeguarding the people of the town.”

Paul Schellhaas, Managing Director, Sunstone IP Systems, added, "The Idis Direct IP solution has enabled us to present a very competitive offering that combined high performance with plug-and-play installation and simple configuration. We are thrilled that the implementation has now become a showcase for other town councils looking to affordably upgrade to full HD and network surveillance.”