Security company bags West Midlands Police contract
A Sheffield security and surveillance specialist has revealed it has entered into another contract with West Midlands Police (WMP).
Synectics will integrate cameras operated by the National Highways Agency throughout the West Midlands into Synectics’ open software platform, Synergy, adding to WMP’s operational response capabilities.
The company, which first began working with WMP in 2005, also developed an Event Control Suite as part of broader operations ahead of the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham last summer.
Thousands of video feeds from numerous disparate systems, including local authorities, sporting venues, transport hubs and retail centres were integrated into Synergy. Operators then viewed the combined feeds through the Synergy interface – in control rooms or remotely – and were able to respond promptly to anomalous events or potential threats.
Synergy allows organisations to share live video and camera control, without affording complete access to their own systems. While Synergy has enabled camera sharing between London boroughs for many years thanks to compliance with specific protocols, authorities in the West Midlands are one of the UK’s earliest adopters of Synectics’ latest-generation shared access solution.
Paul Webb, CEO of Synectics said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with West Midlands Police, with which we have formed a strong relationship on the back of our highly successful deployment at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“The inclusion of the regional camera network from the National Highways Agency will deliver even more comprehensive situational awareness for WMP. Integrating feeds from multiple agencies is a delicate and complex process, but with our technological expertise and compliance with protocols, we are able to deliver the end-to-end solution required by WMP.”
The deal follows a string of new contracts in 2023, including a £3.5m contract to supply specialist camera stations for Saudi Aramco’s Zuluf oil field development programme, and a surveillance system for Solaire Metro North, a large new-build casino resort in the Philippines.
