For more information or to arrange a free demonstration, call 0845 9000 696 or email info@directvirtualguard.co.uk

OTHER CASE STUDIES:
Property Investor Shops Around for Vacant Property Security Solution
Direct Virtual Guard Enhances Site
Security and Drives Down Costs

Direct Virtual Guard Tests
Thieves’ Metal

CCTV cameras have become so ubiquitous that daring metal thieves with their eye on the valuable prize often simply cover their faces and go right ahead and plunder metal anyway. The thieves don’t believe that CCTV footage alone will help the police track them down, so CCTV simply doesn’t work as a deterrent.

Imagine the surprise, then, of one pair of metal thieves when they broke into a construction site in Merseyside, only for the Direct Virtual Guard unit to begin speaking to them and transmitting the thieves’ response direct to a remote monitoring station! In fact, the thieves were so shocked and concerned that they’d get caught that they absconded immediately, empty handed.

Use of the innovative wireless system at the site saved the construction firm thousands of pounds by providing a real time response to the incident and protecting the metal on site. What’s more, the flexible Direct Virtual Guard system was much more cost effective than traditional hard-wired CCTV systems, provided a tax deductible security option and offered remote monitoring by trained security professionals, avoiding the need to employ security guards on site.

The project manager for the construction site explained: “The savings offered by Direct Virtual Guard were very compelling – we were able to save more than 80% as compared to the cost of a hard wired CCTV system and security guards. Because the system is wireless, requires no external power and uses GSM telephony we were also able to move the units around the site as the programme progressed without having to worry about generators or phone lines. We had positioned a unit to protect the metals on site and were amazed at just how effective it proved to be.”

The Direct Virtual Guard system uses motion detection technology with integrated cameras and infra-red illumination to detect an intruder as soon as they are within range of the unit. The unit immediately begins filming the intruders and sends a 10 second clip direct to a remote monitoring station in real time using a secure GSM connection. Trained security operatives can then alert the police and emergency contacts to generate an immediate response.

The system also includes a two-way communication option, which was used effectively during this metal theft incident to alert the thieves that they had been caught red handed.

Peter Lewis, managing director of Direct Virtual Guard explained: “We’ve had lots of examples of sites where the voice challenge function has scared off metal thieves, preventing any theft or damage. Even if the voice challenge function doesn’t scare the intruders away, however, the fact that live footage is sent straight from site to security professionals means that the Police can attend the incident within minutes.”

Indeed users can now get alerts of a break in on their iPhone, android phone or Blackberry, giving them an immediate notification of a problem wherever they are.

Peter continues: “While this incident affected a building site, metal theft is associated with lots of different types of sites, including churches and heritage buildings. Direct Virtual Guard can be installed in under and hour, moved around site to suit changing needs and provides access to real time alerts and footage anywhere. That’s why it’s proved so successful and has now been installed in more than 150,000 locations worldwide.”