Milestone Systems: integrating video, access control and fingerprint readers for the National Union of Mineworkers

Milestone Systems: integrating video, access control and fingerprint readers for the National Union of Mineworkers. A high-tech security solution for the safety of people and information by integrating Milestone IP video management software with access control, fingerprint readers and network surveillance cameras has been designed and implemented by Camsecure.

The National Union of Mineworkers is the largest recognized collective bargaining agent representing workers in the Mining, Construction and Electrical Energy Industries in South Africa, and the largest affiliate of COSATU (the Congress of the South African Trade Unions) where non-racialism was a founding principle.

Downtown Crime and Political Threats

The NUM headquarters are located in a multiple-story brick building in downtown Johannesburg, an urban area well known for its crime risks. The political nature of the union’s activities and strong relationships with the African National Congress make the need for security even more intense. Kgalema Motlanthe, earlier President of South Africa, was also previously Secretary General of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), whose 380,000 members are the core of the nation‘s economic foundation. Johannesburg was known as ‘the city of gold’ withan economy built on gold and mining, so the very history of this country’s development finds its resources here.

Open Platform Solution

Camsecure has designed and implemented a total security solution with the open platform of Milestone XProtect Enterprise IP video management software integrated with Paxton Access Net2 access control, Sagem Morpho biometric fingerprint readers, and 50 Axis network cameras.

Axis 225FD vandal-resistant dome cameras are used on the street-side of the building, opposed to normal cameras that can be knocked out of place. In the parking lot, Axis 221 day/ night cameras have been installed in Videotec Verso polycarbonate housings with cable-managed brackets so there are no exposed cables. The parking lot entrance camera logs all the vehicle number plates to keep track of the time each vehicle enters and exits. There are cameras in all the stairwells of the large building, inside and outside every door throughout the building and up on the roof. The fire escape at the back is also well covered by security cameras. The NUM owns three buildings in the vicinity but have rented out two of them to the Department of Correctional Services and the Johannesburg Water utility. These buildings will be added to the system at a later stage as the system grows.

“There‘s a security risk because it‘s so close to neighboring buildings where people could hop over and come down the stairwell. However, each floor is a security unit on its own that has its own cameras and access control so although people who are allowed in the building can move vertically up and down the central stairwell, they cannot enter the offices on each floor without assigned access to the integrated systems that allow lateral movement in the building,” explains Francois Malan, Technical Director of Camsecure.

Integrated Security System

“It’s a complex site. For higher security there are cameras installed on both sides of each door, a finger reader on the inside and outside of each door, as well as an emergency button. There are cameras with views of the lifts as people enter each floor and the passageways. The reason for this is that if someone tries to sabotage a fingerprint reader or other equipment, knock out the glass on a door, or break emergency glass, we can see who it is,” explains Malan. He continues: “We also have another system in place whereby if a door is left open for more than 1 minute, an alarm sounds with an irritating noise which forces them to close it, but at the same time it logs an alert in the access control system so we can see who left the door open through the Milestone video software link. Any door that is left open is a security risk and we need to know about it to correct it as soon as possible.”

Protecting the Union’s Leadership

One of the floors in the headquarters building is the Executive Wing for the union, which is particularly sensitive. “Our first challenge is in terms of access, to protect the union leadership. As part of the federation called COSATU, the NUM is in alliance with the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC). All the Secretary Generals of the ANC come from this union, so if anyone wants to threaten the ANC, they must first dilute this union. It is a target and that’s why it’s so important for us to have such strict control over the access to this building and Camsecure has helped us with this.” said Thulani Tshozana, Risk Manager at the NUM.

“There have been attacks in the past,” relates Thulani. Strict access control brings greater safety and protection. Another security threat is to protect the information in the offices across the country. The role of NUM is very important: they control the heart of the labor that drives the nation’s economy – if there is a strike it can bring the country to its knees. The NUM is also responsible for raising the working conditions of their members – protecting their health and occupations. “The significance of adding the biometric fingerprint readers lies in the ability to ensure that the person who goes through the door is who they are – people can lose access control cards or have them stolen. We need to be 100% sure who is passing a door. That‘s why the video is there as well, to double-check,” says Francois Malan.

“It can also be an administrative nightmare to deal with hundreds of thousands of cards. So the fingerprint integration is more efficient and effective. It promotes accountability.” Thulani remembers problems with more cards being issued than the number of people who should have access. “Being such a sensitive time in the country’s political history with people changing parties, information is of very high value. If anyone on the site is suspected for any reason, we can type in their name to track and analyze their movements in the system, if anything is removed, etc.” says Francois.

“This is one of the highest security systems implemented. If anything happens, we can have an alarm alert issued – both audible and on the system. In addition to the alarms when a door is left open, if someone sets off a fire alarm, it triggers an event on the system so we get an alert immediately in the Paxton Access software which is integrated with the Milestone so we can see the video evidence of the incidents. Through rules we’ve set up in the software, we can see the list of events easily. We know who has done anything, when and where,” explains Francois Malan.

Danie Malan, CEO of Camsecure, comments: “Prevention is better than cure. I believe that people will think twice before doing anything wrong now.“ ”Yet you can still have trust with the employees through making people accountable: the cameras show when that trust has been broken. They also reassure the people who work here that they are safe,” adds Francois Malan. “I‘ve heard from staff that there is a new pride in the safe quarters we‘ve achieved with this new system,“ says Danie Malan.

Old Security System not Effective

“Previously we only had a CCTV system that was not effective. It was operated from the President’s office and he would often be travelling on business, and others did not have access to the system if it was needed” says Thulani. “We are creating a whole new total security plan.” Edward Majadibodu is the Head of Production who deals with safety, education and women’s development. He is also the Chairman of the Procurement Committee who had to approve the purchase of the new security system. He says: “We have xperienced challenges in the past of theft and other practices so this new security system is a major improvement, especially with the strong access control, only for those who are approved to be here.”

“We finished the new implementation end of Dec. 2008. The building underwent extensive renovations and we were installing at the same time,” recalls Malan. “I remember one incident when someone lost a cell phone in the bathroom by leaving it behind. When he realized this ten minutes later, he went back but it was gone. We were able to type his name into the system in the access control, see the Milestone video link at the time when he went through that door, then see who went in after him. He was one of the workers doing the building renovations. We followed that guy on the system with the cameras through the building into the basement where we apprehended him and got the phone back.“

“This new system is very effective,” states Thulani. “The fact that it can be viewed wherever you are with network access and the proper access is good. Recordings are kept up to two months, so we can always find evidence. We are very pleased with the system that Camsecure designed especially for our needs.”

Biometrics, Access Control and Video

Every employee’s fingerprint is registered in the biometric enrolment unit that sends a code for them to the access control system. Security operators and managers can go into the access software to look up any employee and see their activities, or look at event lists to analyze or check any alarms or incidences. They can click on the camera icon to link up to the Milestone video and see what occurred, or export evidence, if needed.

The Milestone IP video software also manages the Axis cameras, their setups and recording schedules, by groups and locations. “The system allows flexible searching by person, by door or camera locations, and by category like ‘access denied’ to check a log of exceptions. The reporting capacity in Paxton Access is also very good, by person or event,” states Francois. Managers on different floors are given individual access by floor or by specific cameras groups, relevant to their responsibilities.

Security plans for the future include the installation of a metal detector at the main entrance of the headquarters. Camsecure will design this to link cameras with the detector through the video management software to trigger an alarm in the Milestone interface and let security know that someone has gone through who is a potential threat. There was a stabbing in the past, in fact, and such an incident can now be avoided.

Contact:

Milestone Systems A/S, Brøndby, Denmark
Tel.: +45 88 300 300 
Fax: +45 88 300 301

Germany
Stefan Teuber
Milestone Systems DE,
Haag, Germany
Tel.: +49 8072 44 2173
www.milestonesys.com