Riverside Park City Improvement District Panic Pole

DON’T PANIC! WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED

Emergencies are a fact of life.  By their very nature, emergencies occur when least expected, inducing a state of stress that often results in sheer panic.  Picture pushing your full, month-end trolley of groceries across a car park towards your car when, unexpectedly, you step “wrong”, your trolley wobbles and you try to correct it to avoid all your groceries ending up on the tarmac. Your trolley takes off without you and you end up spraining your wrist.  A more frightening scenario, which is, sadly, a common reality in South Africa, you’re unloading your trolley when you’re approached by three men demanding your car keys, hand bag and cell phone and, within less than three minutes, they’ve taken off in your car leaving you stranded and in a state of panic.

If either of these unfortunate incidents happened in the parking area of The Grove in Riverside Park, help would be just a few meters away in the form of the recently installed Emergency Alarm Pole.

A joint pilot project by Hikvision together with one of its South African Platinum Partners, Nelspruit based ICTS and Naspoti Security Solutions, the Emergency Pole Alarm, although commonly found in public area across Europe, is the first of its kind to be installed in South Africa.

“As one of the leading IT solutions companies in the Lowveld, we are constantly researching and investigating new technology” says Ronnie Gower, managing director of ICTS “so when the opportunity for this pilot project presented itself, ICTS, in collaboration with Naspoti Security Solutions – an integrated artificial intelligence CCTV solutions partner – decided to turn it into a real-life project.”

Danie Coetser, CEO of Naspoti Security Solutions commented “Partnering with Hikvision and ICTS to bring the Emergency Alarm Pole Station to the Lowveld is right in line with what we strive to provide our clients with, a complete and integrated security solution.”

The Hikvision Emergency Alarm Pole has been specifically designed for use in busy public places where an immediate response is required and the parking area at The Grove in Riverside Park was the ideal location for this pilot project.

The Emergency Alarm Pole station is designed to allow the public to alert the Riverside Park Control Room directly of any emergency.  At the push of a button, the alarm station provides a vital link between the City Improvement District’s (CID’s) Control Room, its crime prevention vehicle, and the situation on the ground.  Integrated camera options provide a visual link between the two, whilst the built-in intercom gives instant two-way communication.

“Riverside Park has always pursued cutting edge surveillance and security systems, but the installation of the first emergency pole in South Africa right here in the centre of the City Improvement District really raises the bar” says Renate Scholle, Riverside Park’s CID Manager.

Check out the illustrated video here.