Updated British Standard For Detector-Activated Surveillance Strengthens Stadium Security

Matthew Holliday, Director of Standards at the National Security Inspectorate (NSI), explains how a newly revised British Standard will help stadium and arena operators to significantly improve venue protection by deploying detector-activated surveillance alarm systems that provide police response.

The value of specifying security services from third-party certificated providers, to adequately protect sporting, entertainment and other event venues including stadiums and arenas, is becoming ever stronger.

For stadium and arena managers a new option is available to protect venues when not in use, utilising remote/third party monitoring to qualify for police response. The recent introduction of a substantially revised British Standard (BS 8418:2021) offers fundamental change, paving the way for more venues to be ‘on police response’ using detector-activated video surveillance systems to monitor intruder (and hold-up) alarm activations when sites/venues are not in use and/or when specific areas are closed to the public.

When venues are in use, operational capabilities provided by CCTV surveillance include linking remote monitoring of premises with on-site audio announcement capability. These systems also enable operators to quickly and easily check if intruder/hold-up detector activations are genuine security breaches and pass any verified alarm incidents on to key holders or the police for immediate response.

Frustratingly, many users of CCTV surveillance have been unable to take advantage of ‘police response’, with relatively few police URNs (Unique Reference Numbers) issued over the past 18 years. Deployment of BS 8418-compliant systems required for police response has been constrained by a number of factors including onerous technical and operational requirements and the relatively high cost of compliant remote video verification equipment.

The Game Changer…

To keep pace with evolving technology BS 8418 has just been updated for the fifth time since its introduction in 2003. Addressing previous drawbacks within the Standard, this latest iteration of BS 8418 (covering the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of detector-activated video surveillance systems [VSS]) introduces a number of key changes.

Chief among these is a new two-tiered approach. This defines ‘Type A’ and ‘Type A+’ systems appropriate to the level of risk to be addressed at any particular site:

• ‘Type A+’ enhanced level systems are designed to suit industrial, military, utilities and other high-risk sites. These continue to use the technical and installation requirements of the previous (2015) version of BS 8418.
• A new ‘Type A’ level sets minimum recommendations for systems, based on a site threat assessment and risk analysis.

Essentially, a ‘Type A+’ system design includes high end additional security features while a ‘Type A’ system involves a traditional standard VSS.

Both system types provide image transmission to alarm receiving centres or dedicated remote video response centres, where alarm verification operators screen out false alarms using recognised detection techniques.

It's important to note the new ‘Type A’ level does not ‘water down’ requirements for lower risk sites; they must equally deliver to prescribed technical standards for operations including detection and alarm transmission.

Leveraging Police Response

The simpler installation and technology requirements of ‘Type A’ systems will foster considerably increased use of remote video monitoring and interest in ‘police response’ solutions.

Further, BS 8418:2021 compliance will help reduce the false alarm rate experienced by the police which diverts resources away from genuine incidents, as well as reducing the number of 999 emergency calls which put pressure on police control rooms and delays the despatch of police responders.

The new two-tier approach means VSS providers can install and maintain systems better tailored to their customers’ specific circumstances and so be more cost effective. Additionally, since the Standard is now more performance-outcome focused, it allows providers to deploy more innovative solutions as they become available.

For a police response URN to cover a venue or site, its VSS must be installed and maintained by a company independently approved by a UKAS-accredited Certification Body, such as NSI. Approved companies are obliged to complete all new installations in accordance with the 2021 edition of BS 8418 from 1^st August 2022, though many already have the capability to do so.

Conclusion

For stadiums and arenas the benefits of ‘Type A’ video surveillance alarm monitoring delivered by approved installers, as per the newly published update of BS 8418, offers significant security improvements and response to unwanted intruders in periods when sites/venues are closed to the public.