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Article in Shopping Centre Magazine
Ensuring you have a good communications system in your shopping centre is important. If retailers, security officers and centre management remain in constant contact, then incidents such as shoplifting, lost children or violence can be dealt with quickly and efficiently, without delay.
A new system, known as the Tenant Active System (TAS) from ACCL, is currently installed in Chapelfield in Norwich; Grand Arcade, Wigan, and at Princesshay in Exeter. The system has been designed following feedback from several major UK shopping malls over their dissatisfaction with what is available in the marketplace. They put together an operational specification describing what they did and didn't like and what they wanted from a communications system.
The system is run on an internet protocol, so information can be fed directly to the terminal. It will also work happily across the cabled infrastructures found in many of today's shopping centres. Communications can be one-dimensional or multi-functional to meet individual circumstances. This can range from one-way text-based alerts to two-way telephony and beyond.
Managing director of ACCL Wayne Conners says: “In shopping centres today there is no communication between retailer and centre management. The main thing they wanted was to send alarms to the tenant, saying retail statistics are needed, a child is missing, a thief is operating in the area or fire alarm tests need to be carried out. You can send basic information to the tenant that comes up on a display and then they press an accept button.”
The system comes with a number of security benefits. For example, as soon as a panic button is pressed, a recording is made of the background noise. “We're also working with Panasonic to link into the CCTV so that when you hit the panic button, the nearest camera starts recording,” says Conners.
“It's not revolutionising but we are using the technology we have in the marketplace and it's all IP based, so we can integrate into any other IP package.
“We've even got a product now where we can send texts and pictures down to security guards, so the walkie talkies are being replaced with a PDA so we can send information about trouble spots or people causing problems discretely to specific security guards or send a blanket broadcast to all the security guards. That system is currently running in Wigan.”
Another bonus is the child alerts whereby ACCL can tag children in shopping centres so they can be tracked through the wireless network. “If a child walks out of the centre we can track them electronically, and we can track them from anywhere within the centre too,” he says. “We use a wireless network in the store and GPS outside, so if a child walks 10 meters outside the centre, we will be alerted. From what shopping centres are telling us, there's a big market for this. If someone takes the child and removes the tagging system, it sends an alert straight away.”
Both Modus and Land Securities are backing the product.
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