As part of a new centrally-controlled vehicle security system, The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust has installed Nortech’s stainless steel bollards housing Nedap ANPR cameras at its Lancashire regional headquarters.
The trust operates around 1,000 vehicles to provide 1.1 million emergency and non-emergency patient journeys every year.
The trust needed to secure the perimeters of its premises at the Lancashire regional HQ and appointed Expert Security UK, Frank Whittle Partnerships, and W. Monks to design and install the new centrally-controlled vehicle security system.
Expert Security UK approached Nortech in order to integrate the Nedap Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) into the system, and new automatic barriers were installed to secure the perimeter and prevent unauthorised vehicles.
Nortech supplied the ANPR camera housed in a robust stainless steel bollard to protect the camera from any potential vehicle knocks.
As vehicles approach the new barriers, the ANPR reads the number plates and converts each valid number plate into a Wiegand ID string, which it sends to the access control panel in the same way as a standard card reader.
The Wiegand number can then be checked centrally for access rights so that vehicle access can be granted or denied accordingly.
Danny Scholfield, sales director at Expert Security UK, said: "The system is very fast and ticks all the boxes for us.
“As we are already using the Net2 system here at the HQ, it is great to see the ANPR integrating into the system without complication.
“The barrier system is a great security measure for us and has prevented unauthorised parking."
The benefits of the Nortech ANPR system is that it integrates with most access control software, avoids the need for manned gates or vehicle tags, allows automatic vehicle identification at between three and six metres, and prevents unauthorised vehicle access.