Swinburne University of Technology Campus

Security system upgrade brings Swinburne into focus

Swinburne University of Technology has recently installed a high-tech security system to provide safety and security at the university’s five Melbourne campuses.

With around 40,000 students and 2,000 staff spread across these five sites, Swinburne relies heavily on powerful network infrastructure to communicate and share resources between its departments and campuses.

The university’s security and IT departments have worked together to deliver a CCTV system built around existing IT infrastructure that will ensure the safety of security officers, staff and students after hours.

Swinburne’s manager of security Grant Harrison said the new CCTV system is a major asset to his department and the university as a whole.

“As a university that means we need to assure staff and students that the CCTV system is there for their safety and security and for no other purpose. People who want to see what the system is used for are welcome to come and do so,” said Harrison.

“We are very careful to be open in regards to the CCTV system and its purpose. We use modesty panels to blank out areas we don’t need to see for security or safety purposes.

“Before this system was installed we essentially had no centralised surveillance coverage so when something happened the security department was unable to adequately assess and respond to that incident.

“Now our security staff can see what’s going on around the campus and can be aware of their own safety and the safety of students and staff. We find staff and students on the campus are quick to alert the security office to incidents and we can then view footage from the CCTV system and if needed give quality video footage to police.

“There’s just a great deal of traffic across the whole site. After an incident police might ask us how many people had access to a particular area and we’d have to answer ‘1000s’. There was not a lot they can do sometimes.

“Our site doesn’t go quiet at 6pm and can still be busy at 10pm. We have many thousands of international students whose life revolves around the campus. Then there are PHD students working late. In fact a lot of our staff wouldn’t go home without a tap on the shoulder – the nature of academic life is not 9 to 5.

“Along with all this, Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus is surrounded by pubs and nightclubs so there is a movement of people across the campus from one licensed premises to another after hours we need to contend with.”

“All this means that in meeting the need for after hours education, we also have to meet the needs of our students and staff in terms of safety and security and that’s the primary purpose of the cameras.

“You don’t have to look far to see there is a need for security at universities,” said Harrison. “We have hundreds of millions of dollars in assets under our control and there comes a time to address a need for improved security taking into account events overseas and community trends in crime.”