Case Study

Brussels Police

IDtech guarantees optimum protection

After the Brussels police, it's the turn of the Ixelles police to call on the excellent services of IDtech!

IDtech has been supplying and developing access control, time management and alarm monitoring systems since 1982. A large number of companies and institutions have already seen the benefit of an appropriate protection solution thanks to the excellent service and superior-quality products offered by the company. The impressive list of satisfied customers grows ever longer. After the Brussels police, the Ixelles police are turning to the services of IDtech.

On the same scale as that of Antwerp, the Brussels & Ixelles local police force is the largest in Belgium: it employs some 2,600 police officers working in 25 different buildings. When you think that these premises are open to the public 24 hours a day, that criminals are housed here and that police officers are constantly coming and going, there is no need to point out that the situation involves problems of security. However, the Brussels police force did not start looking for a solution until 1996.

Luc Moons, Police Commissioner: "At the beginning of the 1990s, we understood that it was no longer possible to carry on using traditional keys. Visitors would sometimes find the door literally closed, several people got lost in the buildings, officers could not always leave quickly enough for urgent calls and there was practically no possibility of evacuation in case of fire. We therefore drew up a completely new protection programme. To begin with, we gave priority to the installation of an integrated electronic network, which explains why we had to wait until 1996 before tackling access control. Better late than never, don't you think?"

In search of a rare bird

The Brussels police published detailed specifications in order to select an appropriate supplier. Only three companies responded, which is hardly a huge number!

Luc Moons: "This is probably due to the fact that the conditions to be fulfilled were particularly numerous and complex. There could be no limit on the number of readers connected, the system had to be controllable from a single point, it was essential to be able to handle various different levels of protection, and the solution had to be instantly adaptable to new situations. Finally, we decided to call on IDtech: not because they were the cheapest, but because in technical terms they were offering the best solution. What is more, they were able to satisfy all our requirements, and could boast several significant past successes, such as the Belgian National Bank, Solvay and the Belgian railways."

To work!

Brussels Police The deal was signed at the end of 1996, and IDtech began work. In an initial phase, the main building was equipped with 11 proximity readers. They were installed in the entrance hall, the garage and on the doors of "critical" locations (the senior management office, the telecommunications department, the IT department, the central control room). The system had the unusual feature of only controlling entry to the building.

Luc Moons: "This choice was deliberate: it means that officers can leave very quickly for urgent calls. It also makes it possible for the building to be evacuated more quickly if necessary. The system has another particularity, which is that we have been able to adapt it at any time to new technologies, such as biometrics for example."

The essential access control badges are personalised, and are managed from the Brussels police headquarters using the Unicard system. To provide maximum protection, the decision was taken to print the cards with not only a photo but also the police logo, full name of the bearer and an identification number. Finally, the Uniguard application was also added, enabling all the alarms in the buildings to be viewed and controlled.

A very satisfied customer...

The Brussels and Ixelles police force declares itself a very satisfied customer.

Luc Moons: "The implementation took place without the slightest problem: the system was fully operational in under two months. We were therefore able to begin the installation in the other buildings fairly quickly. The project for the Brussels and Ixelles zone is now almost complete. In all, IDtech has linked together several dozen badge readers using fibre-optic cables. The system is managed centrally from police headquarters, and controls access for over 2700 users. In the near future, we shall integrate the solution into the Ixelles offices. We also aim to equip other locations -the cloakrooms for example- with readers. To complete the project, we are integrating CCTV and break-in detection solutions into the Uniguard system. Despite the complexity and geographical extent of the situation -25 different buildings!- the IDtech engineers have carried out the mission like true professionals! All their staff knew exactly what they were doing, and were able to answer our questions quickly and relevantly. The supplier also delivers regular updates, so that the system is always totally current in technological terms. And although the project has been completed in principle, IDtech still visit us regularly to suggest new ideas. We are very grateful to the supplier, especially as the protection of a police station is never really finished. It's always possible to do more..."

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