Pictured: Neil Jackon, Director, GB Security Group

French security professionals and police chiefs have been learning the benefits of sophisticated remotely monitored CCTV systems from a British specialist.

There are more than 45 million CCTV cameras operating in the UK but just 6 million in France and very little remote monitoring.

Expert Neil Jackson was invited to address the meeting in Paris because he has developed a leading edge remote control monitoring centre at Lincolnshire-based GB Security Group, where he is a director. The monitoring centre has been recently updated through an association with French technology company ESI to create a very sophisticated video receiving solution that works alongside the alarm monitoring and CCTV. 

A recognised authority in security technology, Neil has been involved in a number of advisory panels for the industry regulator, the British Security Association (BSIA). His presentation in Paris highlighted the need for effective industry standards to ensure systems are adequate and reliable. In the UK, the major standard is BS 8418: 2010, which deals with minimum standards that will enable the police to offer a level one response, a standard to which Neil Jackson has contributed as part of the BSIA panel.

Following the product development made with GB Security at their Lincolnshire site in Donington near Spalding, ESI France is keen to push the system throughout Europe. And as a result of Neil’s presentation, there’s a new entente cordiale in the making, with a return visit made to GB Security Group by a group of French and Swiss security specialists.

“We had a very useful exchange of experience during my initial visit to Paris. It’s interesting that France has not undertaken any amount of remote monitoring, nor Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Spain. But the market is wide open now and we’re looking at how we can share our knowledge to help future developments across Europe,” said Neil Jackson.  

He added: “France currently makes most use of video verification, where any intrusion activates recording and opens a telephone line enabling the capture of a clip showing what is happening to be relayed to a remote monitoring centre.”

The latest developments within the GB monitoring centre will enable seamless integration between video receiving, telephony and other messaging systems.