Client: Shrewsbury School, Shrewsbury.
Challenge: Securing a vast, historic, and active campus with a diverse range of buildings and a continuous flow of students, staff, and visitors.
The Challenge: A Sprawling Campus Requiring Comprehensive Protection
Shrewsbury School, a renowned independent boarding school, presents a unique and significant security challenge. Its expansive campus encompasses a mix of historic listed buildings, modern teaching facilities, sports complexes, and numerous boarding houses. The inherent openness of a school environment, coupled with the constant movement of hundreds of pupils, faculty, and administrative staff, alongside a steady stream of visitors and contractors, necessitates a powerful, multi-layered security infrastructure.
Key challenges identified by Shrewsbury School included:
- Vast Area Coverage: The sheer geographical spread of the campus made comprehensive visual surveillance and perimeter protection a complex undertaking.
- Diverse Building Types: Varying architectural styles and uses across the campus required flexible and adaptable security solutions.
- Flow Management: The need to control and monitor access for different user groups (students, staff, visitors) while maintaining a welcoming atmosphere.
- Protection of Assets and People: Safeguarding valuable equipment, historical artefacts, and most importantly, the safety and well-being of all individuals on site.
- Minimising Disruption: Implementation of new systems needed to occur with minimal impact on daily school operations and academic schedules.
The Solution: A Multi-Layered Security Strategy by Security Wise
Shrewsbury School partnered with Security Wise Ltd, a Shrewsbury-based security and smart home provider. We designed and implemented an integrated security system tailored to the school’s specific requirements, focusing on three core services: CCTV, Intruder Alarms, and Access Control.
1: Security Wise Ltd deployed an advanced CCTV network across the entire campus. This involved:
- Strategic Camera Placement: Identifying critical vantage points, entrances, communal areas, and vulnerable perimeters to ensure maximum coverage with minimal blind spots.
- High-Resolution Imaging: Utilising advanced camera technology capable of clear identification in various lighting conditions, including night vision.
- Integrated Monitoring: Establishing a centralised monitoring system that allows for efficient surveillance and rapid review of footage in case of an incident. The system is designed not only for deterrence but also to provide invaluable evidence for investigations.
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Intelligent Intruder Alarm Systems:
To protect buildings, students, faculty and their contents, particularly during off-peak hours and holidays, Security Wise Ltd installed sophisticated intruder alarm systems. These systems are characterised by:
- Zoned Protection: Segmenting the campus into distinct security zones, allowing for targeted arming and disarming as required.
- Advanced Detection: Employing a combination of motion sensors, door/window contacts, and other detection technologies to minimise false alarms while ensuring accurate threat identification.
- Rapid Response Protocols: The integrated intruder alarm system is not merely a local siren; it is expertly connected to a remote Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) to have direct access to local authorities for immediate response.
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Comprehensive Access Control Solutions:
Managing the access across such a large and complex site was a critical component of security for large sites such as these. We implemented an access control system that included:
- Tiered Access: Utilising proximity cards, fobs and keycodes to grant varying levels of access to different areas based on an individual’s role (e.g., students accessing boarding houses, staff accessing administrative offices, authorised contractors accessing specific work zones).
- Centralised Management: Providing the school’s security team with a centralised platform to manage user permissions, instantly revoke or grant access, and monitor entry/exit logs.
- Audit Trail Capability: The system records all access attempts, providing a comprehensive audit trail that is crucial for security investigations and compliance.
- Integration with Other Systems: Seamlessly integrating with the intruder alarm system, allowing for automatic alarm activation or deactivation based on authorised entry.
The Impact: Enhanced Safety, Control, and Peace of Mind
The comprehensive security solution provided by Security Wise has delivered significant benefits to Shrewsbury School:
- Proactive Deterrence: The visible presence of CCTV and clearly marked security measures acts as a strong deterrent to potential intruders and helps maintain order on campus.
- Improved Safety & Security: A multi-layered approach ensures enhanced protection for students, staff, visitors, and valuable school assets against a range of security threats.
- Streamlined Operations: The access control system has simplified the management of entry and exit points, reducing the administrative burden while increasing security.
- Accountability and Oversight: Detailed logs from CCTV and access control systems provide invaluable data for incident investigation and continuous security improvement.
- Localised Support: As a Shrewsbury-based company, Security Wise Ltd offers rapid response times for maintenance and support, ensuring the continuous optimal performance of the security systems.
With over 40 years of expertise and an understanding of the unique demands for bespoke security solutions, Security Wise has successfully partnered with Shrewsbury School to create a secure, controlled, and safe environment, allowing the school to focus on its primary mission of education. This case study exemplifies the value of a tailored, integrated security approach delivered by a dedicated local provider.
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