Case Study
Transforming Policing with Integrated Surveillance
West Midlands Police is leveraging surveillance feeds from multiple stakeholders and partners to better detect, verify, and respond to incidents during major events and daily operations.
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In preparation for the Commonwealth Games in 2022 – a year that saw approximately 141.2 million visitors to the region – West Midlands Police (WMP) turned to Synectics and Certified Partner, Ocular, for help.
Their goal was to establish a centralised control facility with a surveillance solution capable of accessing feeds from cameras managed by partner agencies, including Birmingham City Council, National Highways Road Traffic Monitoring, Transport for West Midlands, and West Midlands Combined Authority.
The solution developed made this ambition a reality. With Synergy security and surveillance software at its core, it has transformed business-as-usual policing for the UK’s second-largest police force.
Integrating feeds, enhancing response
WMP implemented a mix of DVNP, direct system, and device integrations to unify the region's surveillance alongside secure server-to-server connections.
This gives access to around 2000 cameras, monitoring roads, well-known event venues, and other public areas. They put this capability to good use, with an area of 348 square miles and a population of almost 2.8 million to protect.
Alex Heare, CCTV Manager – IT & Digital, West Midlands Police, explains: “Whenever and whatever the call we receive, the vast network of feeds we can now access means our operators can quickly get ‘eyes on’ to verify the report and deploy the correct level of response. Officers deployed can also report back.
“This is hugely beneficial. Not only does this ensure we get the best team to the incident in question, but it also means we don’t waste time deploying officers based on false or inaccurate information.”
WMP also works closely with non-public stakeholders, such as shopping centres, arenas, businesses, and hospitals.
“Adding camera feeds from organisations is going to be increasingly important – especially with the arrival of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025”, says Alex. “The way we are set up makes integrating feeds far more straightforward, removing the barriers that once existed to this kind of partnership working.”
“Synergy makes it easy to work with multiple stakeholders, bringing together camera feeds and video evidence from councils, private companies, and police forces. It gives us a broader view in one place and helps us verify incidents and respond faster.”
Secure, streamlined evidence sharing
Another essential feature of the solution is allowing public or private organisations to share video evidence securely.
Alex adds, “We had an existing digital evidence management system, so it was important that evidence captured on different partner systems could be uploaded to this. Our system gives us this capability, and we are already considering ways to simplify the process.
Protecting police facilities and assets
WMP uses the system to monitor its estate centrally, from local police stations to critical evidence storage sites.
The rollout to connect all police facilities is ongoing. Once complete, it will enable multi-site management across the estate, streamlining operations and enhancing security.
Adapting to evolving needs
With such a flexible solution at their disposal, WMP is keen to leverage its full potential, and is working with Synectics and Ocular to explore options ranging from the use of analytics to being able to access footage from body-worn cameras and drones in Synergy.
“We’re also looking very closely at remote access", says Alex. “In particular, we see huge value in our firearms team's ability to access camera feeds remotely. We know this is possible with Synergy and want to investigate its potential further."
“Synergy helps us adapt quickly, whether adding cameras in a hot spot area or quickly preparing for a major event, as we did for the Commonwealth Games. That flexibility is invaluable."
Major events still high on the agenda
While the solution has become a vital everyday asset for the force, managing major events remains a critical application.
A dedicated viewing suite means surveillance operators can quickly focus on feeds relevant to specific events, from match days and concerts to visiting dignitaries and party conferences.
Alex concludes, “Our Synergy solution, coupled with the excellent support from Synectics and Ocular, gives us a solid base from which to work. We’ve also gained a lot of helpful experience and insights from the system supporting events of all sizes – local, regional, national, and international.
“This has put us in a great place to deliver policing that’s flexible, efficient, and effective. Keeping residents and visitors safe is always our top priority, and having the right technology helps us do that.”