Press Release

Low-light cameras help stop action (26th July 2006)

In the wake of the terrorist attacks in London on 7th July 2005, the stations served by the Heathrow Express upgraded their CCTV system – to improve the quality of the CCTV footage available and also to speed up the process of providing relevant footage in the aftermath of any incident.

The technical consultancy, project management and systems integration specialist, Firstco, was given the job of carrying out the work.

First, it identified eight CCTV cameras to be upgraded. These were cameras situated at ‘pinch points’ – parts of the Heathrow Central and Terminal 4 stations that all Heathrow Express passengers have to pass by when entering or leaving the stations.

Firstco staff upgraded these cameras from Panasonic WV-CP240 cameras to Sony SSC E485P cameras. The Sony cameras provide a higher horizontal resolution and improved picture quality in low-light conditions.

“We installed the cameras and connected them to a new digital video multiplexer,” explained Bill Martin, Firstco’s managing director. “Having a dedicated recorder for the pinch point cameras enables recording at a significantly higher frame rate and higher definition, as well as making it quicker to provide visual records of everyone entering and leaving the Heathrow Express stations.

“This should make a significant contribution to helping security staff to protect the traveling public,” Martin added.