The five-year contract will see the installation and ongoing maintenance of over 1,300 advanced CCTV cameras integrated with Avada Connect AI technology in 150 university buildings across the city. The team at Gough & Kelly says this will create a ‘smarter, safer, and more secure’ campus for 100,000 daily users, including students, staff, and visitors.
Gough & Kelly’s AI-powered surveillance system will significantly improve security monitoring across Sheffield University sites and help to deter crime, monitor suspicious activities, and provide visual evidence in the event of incidents such as theft, vandalism, loitering, unusual activity, and unauthorised access.
The Avada Connect software allows for advanced identification of people of interest. It has a spotlight search function that saves time and resources while providing accurate results. The system also provides real-time threat detection, automated alerts, and advanced object searching, allowing the control team to search specific objects, including faces, clothing, bags, and licence plates.
Gough & Kelly has been a trusted partner of Sheffield University for more than 25 years, providing CCTV, access control, and manned security services across the university campus. In recent months, the company has also provided stewarding services at the university-owned Octagon Performance venue following the temporary closure of Sheffield O2 Academy.
Andy Stokes, Sales Director at Gough & Kelly says: “We are thrilled to be expanding our work with the university with the installation of new, digital CCTV systems.
“By integrating Avada Connect, we are upgrading the university to the same cutting-edge cloud-based CCTV monitoring, currently in use across Doncaster and Sheffield. With its advanced timeline searching and identification capabilities, Avada Connect is compatible with most CCTV systems and makes security more efficient while resulting in significant cost-saving benefits.”
Elsewhere in the city, Gough & Kelly partnered with Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Police last year for the Safer Streets initiative, in which saw the installation of 15 new digital CCTV cameras on London Road and Ecclesall Road.
Gough & Kelly was established in 1988. Headquartered in Leeds, the company now employs more than 270 people and provides security and safety solutions for councils, sporting events, venues, schools, colleges, and universities across the UK.