Cost Effective Computerised Security Guard for Gwynedd Shipping

Gwynedd Shipping has been in operation since 1984. The site at Dublin Port incorporates offices, a maintenance garage, a fuelling facility and parking areas which are in constant use, 24 hours a day.

Austin Gilligan, Director of Gwynedd Shipping, took the decision to install the Netwatch System as part of his company’s overall review of security practice at the depot.

“We needed a system that would match two specific needs at our depot. The first was overall security. Traditional security measures act as a deterrent but because intruders can analyse the patterns of the security operation, it would have been all too easy for someone determined to gain access to the depot to do so,” says Austin Gilligan.

“Our second requirement was for a secure system of access for lorries to the depot outside office hours. Up to this point a security guard had been employed to open the gates to let lorries into the depot and lock them after the lorries had entered. This was proving to be very costly and was not very efficient. The Netwatch System is an interactive system, which allows our premises to be watched 24 hours a day with the added benefit of recording everything that takes place. Lorries wishing to enter or leave the depot now call Netwatch and the security gates are opened and closed from their remote command centre.”

Colin Hayes, Sales Director, Netwatch points out that the company’s security technology differs from standard CCTV systems in that it is event based. “When an alarm is triggered on a site, live pictures of the area where the security breach has occurred are sent to the Communications Hub. As a result, the Intervention Specialists can check the premises first so false alarm calls are virtually eliminated and Garda time isn’t wasted”.

“All businesses are faced with stark choices when it comes to protecting their premises. Netwatch is truly cost-effective with a basic monitoring service costing as little as €15 a day – not much more than what you would pay for one hour of a security guard’s time”, he said.

“The Netwatch system offers Gwynedd Shipping a completely flexible security product totally suited to our needs. We have the peace of mind of knowing that our premises is secure 24 hours a day, being monitored by the Netwatch command centre but we are also able to monitor screens ourselves from our office during the day. If I want to review any of the night’s activities, I can quickly check the CD Rom for the events without having to watch a video of the whole night. The security system installed was specific to our needs and has been money well spent. I would recommend the installation of this system to any business with a need for 24-hour security”, says Austin Gilligan.