Mobotix AG, a leading manufacturer of digital high-resolution, network-based video security systems has released details of a successful project at Ta'Qali Producers Group, an association which represents the interest of farmers in Malta. The solution implemented by Mediterranean Protection Solutions provides 24 hour-a-day CCTV monitoring at 4 sites including 2 retail outlets, a grading station and circa 7,000 sq/f warehouse with an adjoining farmers market.
Founded in 2007, Ta'Qali Producers Group (TQPG) helps farmers across Malta improve the quality and presentation of Maltese products with the main objective of selling directly to the consumer thereby stabilising pricing. With both Maltese government and EU assistance, the Group has grown considerably and now helps over 500 farmers sell produce to a growing community of local buyers including consumers, supermarkets and small market stall holders.
"CCTV was an early consideration when we opened our first retail outlet," explains Peter Axisa, Chief Executive and co-founder of the Group, "It is vital that we protect our staff, customers and premises while keeping our operational costs as low as possible."
Axisa felt that the CCTV should be more than just a deterrent. As well as reliability and ease of use, the system should also provide an indisputable record of any incident as well as assisting in the general management of each site. "Having CCTV with low quality is a waste of money," he explains, "If somebody is doing something wrong, you need to be able to clearly identify them and what they have done otherwise what's the point!"
Based on these criteria, Axisa contacted an independent security consultant who recommended a fully digital, megapixel CCTV solution from Mediterranean Protection Solutions, a leading CCTV specialist and MOBOTIX partner.
Based in nearby Mellieha, Mediterranean Protection Solutions provided a full consultation service to the Group with a design to minimize the amount of cameras while achieving optimum coverage. Working closely with local subcontractor AB installations, Mediterranean Protection Solutions managed the installation of structured cabling, switches and MOBOTIX cameras to provide internal and external coverage across three sites. Each camera is accessible over a broadband link and monitored at night by Mediterranean Protection Solutions security staff. In the event of an alarm trigger, Mediterranean Protection Solutions is quickly able to assess the situation before calling the police, which reduces the possibility of false alarms.
The MOBOTIX CCTV is also used in other innovative ways. "We had a situation where a customer felt she was given back the wrong change," explains Axisa, "The quality of the camera was so high that we were able to discover that there had been an error and rectified the situation."
Axisa also points to uses such as staff training, "We are able to remotely monitor when staff open and close stores and to make sure products are correctly displayed all via the CCTV. By keeping our standards high, we improve our brand which helps our members sell more products at a fair price."
Axisa is full of praise for Mediterranean Protection Solutions, "They have done a fantastic job and any minor issues have been solved quickly and professionally," he comments, "We know we could have gone for cheaper analog CCTV but the features, reliability and the quality of the images from our MOBOTIX system makes it much more useful and more than just a deterrent, which in the end become much more price effective than an analog system."
As the Ta'Qali Producers Group continues to grow, Axisa believes that more MOBOTIX cameras will be required. "The implementation of CCTV has been a success and we will be working with Mediterranean Protection Solutions and MOBOTIX for our future retail outlets." He concludes.
