Securing tradition with innovation

Jeweller Michelsen is among the oldest companies in Iceland, selling luxury jewellery and watches. In fact, the company is also an official Rolex Service Center. The family business recently moved premises to the center of Reykjavik, and needed to upgrade their security as part of the refurbishment. This was also important, since they added a new range of expensive watches to their inventory. They turned to Securitas, Iceland’s largest security provider, who furnished them with a solution using Hikvision products.

Challenge

As a high-end retailer, the store has to contend with quite sophisticated criminal activities. For example, one trick is to go into the store and try on a ring, bringing a counterfeit ring in their pocket. They make a switch and hand the counterfeit back to the employee. These kinds of cases can take time to be discovered. There are also criminals visiting the store weeks in advance to study the layout and security system, trying to find blind spots. This is why it’s useful to have a recording to show the police to help any investigation.

To fight these attempts, Michelsen needed complete protection for the new location, which is roughly 140m². This needed to include both indoor and outdoor cameras. However, the store shape posed a challenge - an L-shape, with the entrance on the corner facing the reception desk, with Rolex products displayed to the left, the workshop in the middle (behind the reception desk) and other items displayed on the right as you come in.

They needed a security door, alarm system, smoke and flash light mounted to the ceiling, emergency buttons located around the premises and cameras that covered the whole store. They also needed to have a comprehensive recording storage that could be viewed on mobile phones and live on monitors.

Solution

Securitas brought in a team of specialists to analyze the premises. Their solution was to mount cameras around the entire layout of the unusually shaped space for a comprehensive coverage of every area and also included outdoor cameras.

4MP DarkFighter Varifocal Dome cameras (DS-2CD5146G0-IZS), were installed inside to get the best possible images of fast-moving targets in lowlight conditions. The model’s excellent overall image quality in all light conditions made them perfect for this job. They meant that any criminals attempting a ‘smash and grab’ at speed could be captured, even if the heist was attempted at night.

For outside, 4K Moto Varifocal Bullet cameras (DS-2CD5A85G0-IZS) were chosen for their high overall image quality.

A Pro Series 8-Slot Workstation for Windows (DS-WSPWI-T8) completed the solution. This offers excellent value when long retention times are required. It meant that recording could be retrieved for potential investigation up to eight weeks after the incident.

All of the information is managed centrally by Securitas’s Reykjavik HQ, which handles the security remotely 24/7.

Frank Ú. Michelsen, owner and CEO of Michelsen, says: “We were really impressed that the solution fulfilled our specific needs. For example, it included custom made ceiling brackets for our ceiling which is almost five meters high. This caused a lot of thought while installing the cameras and other security equipment, but they found the right solution. We are thrilled with the results which give us great peace of mind.”

Even though Michelsen’s is a traditional business, the application of innovative technology has helped to secure it for the future. Now the company is equipped to deter and investigate any thieves, protecting their goods so they can delight their customers for years to come.