Protecting a powerless building site with solar powered CCTV Tower

Criminal activity on building sites is at an all time high and the budget for security ranges from seriously limited to non-existent or low priority.

However, there are some simple, cost-effective solutions which will effectively deter trouble and help to keep a building site secure.

“The site, a luxury apartment block development, was in a quiet residential area and it wasn’t long before the petty theft started” explained Andrew Wakeman, Managing Director for Wakes Construction Ltd. “First tools, then some materials started to go missing, even levels of diesel in the generator ran low far too frequently. This was causing aggravation for my workforce and delays to the project while we waited for replacement materials to be delivered”.

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The final straw was when vandals climbed over the perimeter wall and set fire to some large stacks of valuable timber that had only recently been delivered; it created a considerable blaze and further damage to nearby plant and materials, not to mention a sizeable insurance claim.

Ironically, the trespassers were caught on a phone camera by a member of the public whilst walking his dog. He had been suspicious of what they were up to but the damage was done by the time he was able to report it. It was clear that better overall site security was needed, so Wakes called in Clearway to take their advice on how to best resolve the situation.

“My first impression of this site, which was in a quiet side street, was the lack of lighting” says Tony Gibbons, UK Technical Manager for Clearway, “and keeping a site illuminated after dark, if at all possible, is important for both security and as a deterrent. Secondly, was the lack of building site cameras. A CCTV tower, very obviously situated and monitoring the development 24/7, not a covert CCTV system, was ideal for this site.”

The lack of a power supply is not a problem

The mains power was switched off at night and at weekends so a mobile building site CCTV Tower with solar-power capability was the ideal solution because they can run 24/7/365, continuously recharging themselves during daylight hours. During winter, when there is a shortage of daylight, the sealed battery packs are simply changed periodically. The towers can also be repositioned as needed as the development changes.

The mobile CCTV tower’s ‘live view’ capability allows the owner/user to log-in to see the video feed in real time, even operating the near-360° remotely to keep an eye on staff/contractor time-keeping as well as those with nifty fingers. Alerts and video feed from the camera can also be monitored 24/7 by our NSI Gold ARC monitoring station who deploy a security patrol or notify the Police if trouble is spotted.