Enhancing public safety with a CCTV partnership
Thames Valley Police worked with local authorities to improve CCTV coverage, cut costs, and boost efficiency. It's made public spaces safer and ensured long-term, reliable monitoring across the region.
The company
Thames Valley Police is the largest non-metropolitan police force in England and Wales, covering 2,218 square miles and serving a population of 2.42 million people across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. To meet the rising demand for public space CCTV to prevent and detect crime, the force has teamed up with Genetec, Hanwha Vision, and CDS Systems to update and centralize monitoring.
The challenge
Outdated CCTV systems across the region were becoming a growing concern for Thames Valley Police. “CCTV is essential for preventing and solving crimes,” said Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley. But due to limited budgets, many local councils were unable to maintain their systems properly.” To overcome this, the police needed a solution that would streamline CCTV operations, cut costs, and ensure reliable, high-quality monitoring across the entire area.
The solution
Unified CCTV operations
Thames Valley Police has brought all control rooms and CCTV systems together in one platform with Genetec™ Security Center. This gives the team quick access to video footage, making it easier to make fast decisions.
Flexible cloud solutions
The team has the flexibility to combine cloud and on-premises systems, allowing them to adjust to different needs and grow the system as required.
Enhanced collaboration
Federation-as-a-Service makes it easy to share live and recorded video with officers in the field, helping the team work together and respond faster to incidents.
Scalable platform with custom workflows
Genetec Security Center provides a flexible platform for teams to access role-specific tools and data, with custom workflows and AI-powered Hanwha Vision cameras speeding up footage reviews for faster investigations.
“The CCTV Command Suite enabled by CDS, Genetec, and Hanwha Vision has improved our workflows beyond recognition, enabling staff to quickly review and package evidence for frontline officers or more complex investigations.”
Jason Owen, CCTV Operations Manager at Thames Valley Police
Results
The Thames Valley CCTV partnership, formed by Thames Valley Police, Genetec, CDS Systems, and Hanwha Vision, has streamlined CCTV operations across the region. Several control rooms, including Windsor and Maidenhead, had already implemented Genetec Security Center, enabling a phased unification of existing systems. The flexibility of the Genetec hybrid-cloud architecture and Federation-as-a-Service enabled Thames Valley to choose the best mix of cloud and on-premises infrastructure for each location.
By integrating AI-powered Hanwha Vision cameras and Genetec Security Center, the partnership has improved evidence review and video quality. The system now handles hundreds of incidents monthly, with better access to databases for faster responses. Pooling resources and sharing control rooms has reduced costs, with plans to expand mobile surveillance and further cloud and Federation capabilities in the future.