Hikvision: securing one of the busiest shopping malls in Turkey’s capital

Keeping a watchful eye over the thousands of visitors that flock to Ankara’s vast Metro Mall every day is no easy job. To achieve real peace of mind, the security team chose a video security solution from Hikvision, and received reliable, innovative and cost-effective technology to protect shoppers and staff 24/7.

The challenge: choosing reliable video security to protect thousands of visitors

The Metro Mall in Ankara, Turkey, is one of the busiest entertainment and business centers in the capital. Combining more than 200 stores with offices, a cinema, cafes, restaurants and a gym, the site covers nearly 220,000 square meters, while the nearby metro station sees a footfall of more than 300,000 commuters every day.

Given the busy nature and complexity of the location, the security of shoppers and workers is a top priority – but it’s also a challenge. “We knew well before it opened that the Metro Mall was bound to become a hotspot for shoppers and commuters, and that security would be a challenge,” says Bahri BERÇİN, the Metro Mall Manager. “We needed a solution that could cope with this complexity, and which we could rely on.”

“We had a number of proposals of CCTV solutions, but the proposal from Hikvision Turkey stood out by far,” said Bahri BERÇİN. “The full solution was very thorough and the technology appeared to be of extremely high quality.”

Solution overview

Hikvision began the project by working with Meriç Technology ltd. to carry out a site survey. “Being such a complex and busy site, we needed to ensure we had enough cameras to offer comprehensive security,” says Yunus Bölükbaş, the Pre-sales Engineer at Hikvision Turkey.

Following the survey, Hikvision and its partner designed a CCTV solution comprising more than 500 cameras to be located both inside the mall, the parking lots and around the perimeter.

For security inside the mall, Hikvision recommended its 2MP Vari-focal IR Bullet Cameras mounted to the walls, and Vandal-proof Network Dome Cameras mounted on the ceiling, assisting the security team with situational awareness at all times.

For reliable outdoor security – day, night, and in all weathers – Hikvision Network IR PTZ Dome Cameras were installed around the perimeter of the mall, for a comprehensive view of the mall’s exterior, while their 20x optical zoom enables the security team to inspect potential threats in very close detail.

Hikvision also installed Access Control panels and Mifare Card Readers, to enable security personnel and other authorized mall staff to gain secure card-based access to restricted areas. The whole solution was connected to Hikvision Network Video Recorders, to support all processing and analysis of the recordings at the mall’s security control center.

Benefits: better security for visitors and staff – with great future potential

“It’s definitely making a real difference,” says Hüseyin GENÇER, the Metro Mall technical manager of the project. “The solution is helping us protecting the mall’s customers much more effectively, and providing reliable evidence for investigation of security incidents, which exactly what we had hoped for.”

The access control panels are also helping to secure the restricted areas of the mall. “We can give each member of staff access to the parts of the mall that are relevant for their work. We are also able to see where everyone is at all times.” adds Hüseyin GENÇER. “Also, integration between the Hikvision CCTV and Mavili fire Alarm systems has helped us improve our low voltage system management operations”.

The security team is now planning to expand its system to the nearby residential area, which comprises five buildings, each 30 stories high. Hikvision also plans to install the iVMS-5200E Centralized Management System and integrate it with the mall’s third party alarm system, so that the Metro Mall team can manage video streams, access control devices and its fire alarms from a single place.

Hüseyin GENCER is very happy with the technology and how the project was run, “We want to thank the whole Hikvision for their efforts during pre-sales and delivery support. And we are planning to expand the security system to the nearby residential area.”