Remotely-Operated CCTV Surveillance Systems – the future of border control

Remotely-operated CCTV surveillance systems could actually represent the future of border control, especially in small and remote border crossing areas, where maintaining fully manned control points is not economically viable, as a recent trial by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has been able to reveal.

At the tiny Morses Line crossing between Quebec and Vermont, every non-commercial traveller that arrives after 4PM will not be met by border guards, but instead will have to drive into a garage equipped with powerful cameras, operated by a border agent hundreds of kilometres away, in Hamilton, Ontario, according to a news report.
Under the pilot project, travellers pull up to a kiosk outfitted with a microphone, cameras and document readers. The border agent in Hamilton asks questions and can use the cameras to zoom in and inspect the vehicle. Exits and entrances to the facility are protected by fencing and crash-proof gates.

If an in-person inspection is needed, the Hamilton agent orders the travellers to stay put, while border officers are dispatched from the next-closest crossing

Bill Anderson, director of the Cross-Border Institute at the University of Windsor, says remote processing could provide a lifeline to other small crossings, as long as there are border agents available nearby who can get there quickly if needed.

“You have a lot of these land border crossings and you get small towns that have sort of grown up around them, and it’s very difficult to justify the costs of putting the personnel in there,” said Anderson.

“So, this is sort of a practical way to keep the border open in that location.”

Tensor RDAPS – the UK’s first and only Secured by Design accredited self-sustained security surveillance system designed for the real-time, actionable protection of remote sites

The Tensor Rapid Deployment Asset Protection System (RDAPS) is the UK’s first and only Secured by Design accredited self-sustained security surveillance system designed to prevent crime and gather evidence in remote sites and trouble hotspots.

The RDAPS includes a high-definition camera system of evidential quality and a self-contained high-definition NVR platform with full video analytics capabilities, fully integrated 2-way audio and alarms, capable of delivering extensive remote location, building site and major events security.

Featuring a rugged, weather and vandal-proof design, RDAPS has been designed to protect assets located in vulnerable or remote locations, where current constraints exist due to a lack of power and/or communications. The system is equipped with a Solar/Wind Turbine charged battery system, as well as multiple wireless communication platforms (Wi-Fi, 3G/4G, etc.).

The Tensor Rapid Deployment Asset Protection System is totally transportable and can be re-deployed as frequently as required on multiple sites – in under 40 minutes. Our unique purpose built tower provides a platform which transports the system from site to site and when in ‘deployed-mode’ forms a self-contained secure working platform, functioning as a fully integrated remote video system.

If you’d like to find out more about Tensor PLC’s consultancy, concept, design, procurement, manufacturing, installation, maintenance, training and monitoring services, just contact us, or book a demo with one of our company’s representatives.