Dedicated to the cause

For Pauline Norstrom, 2006 proved to be a landmark year in this busy professional’s packed business calendar. Having served as vice-chairman of the British Security Industry Association’s (BSIA) CCTV Section since 2004, the highly intelligent and intuitive worldwide head of marketing for Dedicated Micros the digital video recording and end-to-end IP solutions provider was elected chairman of the Section last summer and, wasting no time at all, presided over the development of its CCTV Privacy Masking Guide that was published in mid-October.

Norstrom was also heavily involved in formulating the Code of Practice for Digital Recording Systems for the Purpose of Image Export to be Used as Evidence (issued last May) and continued to drive forward the work of TC10, the BSIA’s Technical Committee focused on CCTV Best Practice which she leads.

As you might expect, trying to find a spare two hours in Norstrom’s hectic Diary for an interview is no easy task but, just prior to Christmas, Security Management Today’s influential Editorial Advisory Board Member managed to juggle her schedules and create a window for what turned into a lively and impassioned discussion at Dedicated Micros’ slick new corporate headquarters (located on the Daresbury Business Park that flirts with the outskirts of Warrington).

Having been delayed on the motorway, Norstrom rushed into the Boardroom where SMT’s cassette recorder, notepad and pen were primed and ready for action. “I’m so sorry I’m slightly late,” said the (as always) beautifully dressed Norstrom while catching a breath or two. “The roads are horrendous today.”

Having travelled from Warrington Bank Quay Station to the building in a taxi, your Editor can vouch for that... What should have been a ten-minute journey evolved into a dispiriting 30 minutes-plus endurance test thanks to the lashing rain, gale force winds and one or two Highways Agency-enforced diversions! A coffee or two settled our collective nerves, though, and, after Adam Wiseberg AD Group Board Member, managing director of RemGuard and now BSIA chairman had popped in for a brief ‘Hello’, we turned to pressing matters of the day.

Leading role in CCTV

As chairman of the BSIA’s CCTV Section a post previously occupied by Wiseberg, in fact Norstrom is tasked with directing the Association’s work in an area where Britain continues to lead the world.

With two years as head of TC0 already ‘in the bag’, Norstrom acknowledges that this has helped ease her into the Section chairman’s role. “I am very fortunate to have chaired TC10,” begins Norstrom. “It has taught me how to pull together a number of diverse views and focus on one or two common themes running through them all. It’s not always entirely obvious what the right way forward is going to be. I never go into a meeting with pre-determined views, though. You can’t, or you would be doing the Committee a disservice.

“All of the Committee Members give of their own free time to do what they do, which is tremendous. They know full well I’ll give them ‘homework’ if it’s needed, though.”

It emerges that Norstrom chaired her first meeting of the BSIA’s CCTV Section only recently, at the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Resettlement Centre in Aldershot. A rewarding experience, one assumes?

“The entire CCTV Section Committee was very supportive,” comments Norstrom with a broad smile of satisfaction. “There are 11 elected Members on the Committee, and another four co-opted. It’s a genuine democracy, and everyone present most notably BSIA technical director Alex Carmichael made an excellent contribution to my inaugural meeting as chairman.”

Following said gathering, Norstrom found herself chatting to one of the MoD resettlement trainers. Interestingly, he espoused the view that IP surveillance “is a bit fringe” for his people. “I made the point that he needs to train his ‘students’ in this technology now, because that is where the opportunities will be for them going forward,” suggests Norstrom with a nod to current marketing parlance.

“At the moment, the Resettlement Centre is instructing ex-forces personnel to effectively ‘pull’ wires and plug-in systems for local recording,” continues Norstrom, whom you sense has now forgotten the pains of this morning’s Rush Hour, “but they are missing out on a huge chunk of the networked side to CCTV. We want to encourage IP training here, and the Centre’s managers have since expressed an interest in that. Manufacturers are willing to donate kit for this training, too."

Speaking of IP-based surveillance and, let’s face it, who isn’t these days? when does Norstrom feel the technology is really going to gain serious ground in the UK (as has been the case on mainland Europe)?

“Some honesty is called for when you discuss IP,” states Norstrom, who then pauses briefly for thought before continuing. “Skewed views emanating from systems providers who only offer one kind of end user solution are dangerous, as they might well be steering security managers down the wrong road.”

Expanding on that point, Norstrom adds: “It could well be the case that a given client may have invested in a huge analogue-based solution, say a couple of years ago, all built on coax cabling. They’ll not want to rip that out, and their bosses wouldn’t be too impressed if they did. That would engender a serious loss of face and faith. The same security manager might wish to add other buildings to their surveillance regime, though, and then manage the entire set-up on a central basis.

“The CCTV industry needs to promote BS 8418 to the insurers with greater vigour than it has done to date, but the insurers must play their part. They need to look more closely at BS 8418 systems and let us explain the benefits. In an ideal world, they would then inform clients that no cover is forthcoming unless such solutions are used”

“Some manufacturers will advise them that ripping everything out is the only way to go, but end users aren’t stupid. They talk to each other about these issues. Many have had their fingers burned in the past by clever salesmen.” On that note, Norstrom recalls how bad experiences can so easily damage the CCTV industry. “Two years ago, I was involved in intensive discussions with the British Retail Consortium (BRC). It emerged that BRC Members were being told about certain CCTV systems also offering footfall analyses and the like, but in truth the developmental software for those systems didn’t work.”

Norstrom continues: “To this day that has left a bad taste in retailers’ mouths. There’s no point in trying to push new technology if it cannot be integrated with the end user’s legacy systems or be managed from one interface. That’s what many managers want.”

To finish the point, Norstom opines: “In direct response to your question, I’d say that IP is taking off now. It is only hindered by those manufacturers pushing one solution. We would all do well to remember that CCTV did not start out that way. Rather, it was all about bringing together a number of technologies to make surveillance work.”

EN 50132-1: inviting debate

The first draft of European Standard EN 50132-1 CCTV Systems: General Requirements is due and, under Norstrom’s direction, TC10 is “actively inputting” to the document. “We want to take a fresh look at the way in which the grading structure is written-in to the Standard,” explains Norstrom with obvious enthusiasm. “Until now, that structure has merely been imported from the equivalent Intruder Alarm Standard in the 50131 Series, but in this case CCTV system grading cannot be dependent upon the level of competency of the intruder. It has to work in the real world.”

In essence, Norstrom and her fellow TC10 Committee Members are breaking the Standard down. Aside from the grading structure, much of the remainder of EN 50132-1 is written around the functionality of a system to be included at the Grade 1 level. “We need to define what is a Grade 1, 2, 3 and 4 system,” espouses Norstrom, “having picked out all of the features and functionality that determines a Grade 1 rating. Then it’s a case of looking at suitable applications.”

There are hurdles here, though, it seems. “We are not allowed to talk about direct applications. The advice we produce must be generalist. The plan is to offer all-round guidance rather than have a focus that’s too narrow.” TC10’s comments will be passed on to the main European Standards Committee.

A representative from the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) Neil Cohen sits on the TC10 Committee to help ensure that its Members are in tune with the surveillance issues they need to cover (in particular relating to EN 50132-1).

“One point we discussed at the last Committee Meeting,” Norstrom chips in, “was how many criminals actually wear black and white-striped clothing. ‘Not many’ is the answer. We should all be very sceptical about static, quantitative tests for CCTV systems, which must be tested in real-life scenarios. The number of TV lines rendered is totally irrelevant if the cameras aren’t properly focused and there is insufficient lighting. We need to take an holistic view, offering far more useful guidance to installers and end users so that they can see what will be expected of them and their surveillance installations.”

Has the Police Scientific Development Branch ‘morphing’ into the HOSDB changed anything in Norstrom’s eyes? She answers with no hesitation. “In my view it has improved matters. Not only was the swap a seamless affair, but the focus is now moving away from arguments based on academia to more real world issues. This is definitely a major step in the right direction, and one that’s ably supported by the HOSDB’s intention to look at providing actual video samples for evaluation.”

Best Practice Guidelines

The BSIA’s Code of Practice for Digital Recording Systems for the Purpose of Image Export to be Used as Evidence, the recent Chip and PIN Guide and, of course, the CCTV Privacy Masking Guide were all devised by TC10. The latter two were never intended to be Standards, serving instead as Guidance Notes.

“There was no information available for retailers concerning CCTV and how it should relate to Chip and PIN,” stresses Norstrom. “That’s why I was determined to drive this Guide through. The same applies to privacy masking, but this time right across the end user spectrum.”

Not surprisingly, the admissibility of evidence in a Court of Law was a vital area for Norstrom and her colleagues on the TC10 Committee when it came to writing the Code of Practice for Digital Recording Systems. Security Management Today’s readers who take an active interest in surveillance issues will be aware that the 1997 report published by the Committee for Science and Technology delves into much detail about digital video evidence and its use in Court. According to Norstrom, that same report forms the basis of many key statements made in the current BSIA Code.

“I would like to clarify a couple of points relating to this issue,” says Norstrom when I suggest to her that most studies conclude by stating far too many CCTV images rendered are inadmissible in the eyes of the law. “Any evidence is admissible in Court, apart from hearsay. I want to be very clear about this. It’s purely down to the presiding Judge as to whether they’ll allow evidence to be submitted, and what weight they’ll attach to it.”

Another recent survey looked at the use of digital playback media in Court. Stories are still rife of the police insisting on evidence being submitted on tape for the Courts, but that makes life difficult for CCTV Control Room managers who are rapidly moving towards digital solutions and rather goes against the grain of digital system development.

“We should all be very sceptical about static, quantitative tests for CCTV systems. They must be tested in real-life scenarios. The number of TV lines rendered by a given surveillance system is totally irrelevant if the cameras aren’t properly focused and there is insufficient lighting”

Having stated that TC10 has discussed this issue, Norstrom then reveals a humorous side to her nature. “Fundamentally, all Courts are geared up for digital evidence playback. Each of them has at least one plug socket, after all! Being serious, though, one would have to say that, by and large, the Courts aren’t totally savvy in relation to digital media.”

A vital issue, of course, is the quality of evidence produced. “This is where BS 8418: Installation and Remote Monitoring of Detector-Activated CCTV has a crucial role to play,” states Norstrom. “End users must take on board a simple message. OK, they may save themselves a few pounds by opting for a cheaper system during the procurement process, but when they look at the recorded images they’ll be less than impressed. They must review the definition of the purpose of their surveillance system to make sure of the right outcome. They may have specified cameras with a wide field of view, but if none of those views can be resolved to sufficient quality a major problem is brewing. Through no fault of its own, it’s this sort of occurrence that brings the CCTV industry into disrepute.”

Onus on the end user

If that’s the case, what are the most salient questions end users should be asking of manufacturers before specifying their CCTV systems? “First of all,” replies Norstrom, “the purpose of the system must be identified by way of a thorough site risk assessment. What is to be protected by CCTV, and why? What kind of evidence needs to be produced? Interestingly, some of the statistics we reviewed on seeking to complete the installer and end user guidelines to accompany BS 8418 showed us that an audio challenge alone deters something in the region of 90% of prospective criminals. That’s astonishing. It’s also true.”

Within more and more companies, it seems, economics continue to dictate the profile of the CCTV end user. In far too many cases, security and surveillance is being looked after by non-specialists. Isn’t that a huge worry for Norstrom and her colleagues?

“We shouldn’t be allowing relatively unskilled operators to take on surveillance responsibilities that require training and personal skills beyond their reach.”

Realising the benefits of BS 8418

Returning to BS 8418, Norstrom is adamant that there’s still much work to be done in persuading the Association of Chief Police Officers and the major insurers that end users must see and enjoy the benefits of choosing a BS 8418-based CCTV regime.

“Too many police forces are still responding to non-BS 8418 systems, while some kind of insurance discount has to be made available to induce the end user,” states Norstrom in forthright, no nonsense tones. “Lower insurance premiums should be in place as an absolute minimum.”

If (as Norstrom suggests) the police service “has to be on board much more so than is the case at present”, what’s the underlying problem with buy-in to what is an excellent British Standard warmly embraced by end users? There are 43 disparate police constabularies each with their own way of interpreting legislation, but for Norstrom any plans for mergers wouldn’t make a difference.

“The number of forces isn’t the problem,” explains this erudite security professional. “It’s all about who they’re listening to, and who governs them. The HOSDB works so hard to provide guidance notes for the police but has no authority whatsoever over how those guidelines are implemented.”

The BSIA’s CCTV Section is intent on promoting BS 8418 once again this Spring, by which time essential meetings with ACPO will have taken place and hopefully some (if not all) of the issues discussed here will be nearing (or will have reached) a positive conclusion.

What lies in store?

Pauline Norstrom is set to remain head of TC10 for at least the remainder of 2007, although a deputy Dr Mark Wherrett (formerly of Bewator, a renowned expert in dome camera technology and now the product manager for the Dennard range of domes) has been elected to step into the role when the time is right for all concerned.

“My commitment to the CCTV industry is genuine,” she adds. “I believe in it, and in what I do. End users should never compromise on their surveillance installation. Quality does come at a price, and it’s up to all of us in the industry to make sure security managers and directors are fully aware of that fact.”