North Secures 4-year Contract to Enhance Public Space CCTV across Argyll & Bute

The £326k contract will see the upgrade of 45 cameras across the local authority including Oban, Dunoon, Lochgilphead, Helensburgh, Campbeltown and Rothesay.  

The project will see the move from the existing surveillance solution, which is operated solely by Police Scotland from independent police stations across the area,  to a first-of-its-kind deployment from North of Genetec’s cloud-based Security Center. This means that all surveillance feeds can be accessed on a single centralised system, making it easier for Police Scotland to monitor activity and keep streets safer across the local authority. 

As well as the upgrade of existing cameras, North is also working with Police Scotland to survey all sites and ensure camera placement means maximum surveillance coverage. The upgraded system future-proofs the Council’s operations by offering the ability to expand the system to include edge analytics for people counting, object classification, incident detection and more.  

North is working with Argyll & Bute Council to deliver meaningful social value through their Community benefits portal, delivering impactful initiatives, as well as upskilling colleagues through training and aligning with Fair Work First principles. 

Julie Hutchison, Senior Account Manager at North, said: 

“North is committed to supporting local authorities to make towns and cities smarter and safer places to work and live and we are proud to support Argyll & Bute’s upgrade of their public space video surveillance system, helping make public spaces safer for residents and visitors. 

The first-of-its-kind deployment of the cloud-based unified video management system from Genetec for the council will allow easier collaboration from Police Scotland across the local authority, allowing for a more proactive approach to investigations.” 

Councillor William Sinclair, Policy Lead for Community Planning and Corporate Services, said:

“The Council is excited to be taking forward this project with North. This project will ensure that the CCTV estate across the Council area is digitally compliant and will provide our partners in Police Scotland with better coverage and enhanced imagery, which in turn will provide more security for businesses and residents in our communities. Funding awarded from the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment Fund and Crown Estates has enabled this project to be taken forward.” 

With extensive experience supporting public space CCTV across multiple local authorities, including the City of Edinburgh Council, Aberdeen City Council, and Fife Council, Dundee City Council, Perth & Kinross Council and Angus Council North continues to help Scottish towns and cities become safer, smarter and more connected places to live, work and visit.