MOBOTIX AG, a leading manufacturer of complete high-resolution IP video systems have released details of an installation of its MOBOTIX CCTV solution which is protecting Crossgates Community Gardens, a not-for-profit and locally run focal point built by the townspeople of Crossgates located near Dunfermline in Scotland.

The Crossgates Community Garden has been created by the Greenfingers Volunteer Group on a piece of land donated by the local Masonic Lodge through a range of fund raising activities and grants awarded. The goal, according to Liz Beattie, Secretary of the Crossgates Greenfingers Trust, "was to create a space for the village to enjoy and to help local children understand about environmental awareness."

The Gardens which will be officially opened by Lord Elgin on June 25th 2010 will be regularly used by the local primary and secondary schools for lessons on ecology and as a safe outdoor area for seasonal activities like Christmas and Easter pageants. "Unfortunately, we had had a number of acts of petty vandalism in the village," explains Beattie, "and decided that a small CCTV solution would be ideal to help deter this kind of behaviour."

After receiving funding from the Muir Dean Community Trust, the Garden committee approached Eclipse (IP), a Dunfermline based MOBOTIX business partner, for a solution. The installation would need to be low maintenance, cost-effective and able to quickly retrieve footage in the event of any incidents. As there is no IT infrastructure on the site, the system would also need to be self-contained and not require a PC or server connection.

As Neil Alexander, Managing Director for Eclipse (IP) explains: "This was a perfect situation for a MOBOTIX system as with a built in 16 GB SD card; we could effectively have the cameras record all the footage and simply download them in the event of an incident. With just the addition of power, we created a 7 day surveillance window without the need for lots of IT equipment on the site."

Eclipse installed two MOBOTIX M12 series cameras, in a day and night configurations which are accessed via secured Wi-Fi along with Raytec LED white lights to ensure that the entire Gardens are fully protected.

"Since the installation of the system, we have had no acts of vandalism and the cameras and the clear warning signs are a great deterrent," explains Beattie. "Neil and Eclipse were simply fantastic, they helped and advised us all along the way and the system is both discreet yet able to cover the entire area in good detail."