Although there are no official figures for thefts on construction sites, since the statistics on the matter from the Ministry of the Interior are not detailed, all professionals have noticed the upsurge in their daily practice: “ It is estimated that the costs of losses from theft on site can reach up to €1 billion per year summarizes Lucile David, director of Bauwatch France. Since 2019 and with successive crises, the phenomenon has not stopped, on the contrary: “ There are always big worries about theft and vandalism accentuated by the increase in the cost of materials and energies. For example, the siphoning of fuel oil on construction machinery is increasing “. These thefts take place during the day – they are sometimes carried out by staff –, more often at night and at weekends by organized gangs or opportunists when the site is at a standstill. Some regions, such as Hauts-de-France and Ile-de-France are particularly affected: ” These are sometimes real raids! »
Prevention first
So what to do? The most common solution is to set up surveillance at night with a dog handler. An option that not everyone can afford. In addition, it is far from solving the whole problem, as Lucile David explains: ” Apart from the fact that it is very expensive, the guardians are not infallible. They cannot be everywhere at once, especially when there are several access points to the construction site. About the video surveillance classic, its effectiveness is very limited, there are many errors of appreciation. »
Alternative to these imperfect solutions, a concept that comes to us from the Netherlands and developed by Bauwatch, expert and leader in site monitoring in Holland and Germany. Established in France since the end of 2021, Bauwatch takes the opposite view to what is usually practiced in France. ” NOTWe are working on two aspects: technology that integrates artificial intelligence so that the intruder detection program is continuously refined, and also a new way of doing things. Indeed, the system is very visible here. ” Our vision is first and foremost prevention. We don’t hide in the corners of the construction site with small cameras. »
An all-in-one solution
Indeed, very concretely, the proposed system, called Bauwatch GreenLight 3.0, is based on cameras installed on a mast which is deployed at more than 6 m in height, the weight of the equipment reaches more than 500 kg. The whole, installed at strategic points on the site, diffuses a green light. Impossible to miss them. On the security side, everything has been planned: “ There are three cameras. One of them, antivandalism, points directly on the tower on a perimeter of 5 m, which makes it possible to see immediately if someone attacks the system. For the electrical connection, a back-up battery takes over for forty-eight hours in the event of a voluntary or unintentional power cut. ” We also offer an autonomous solar solution Bauwatch Solar 3.0. It works exactly the same way. The only difference is that it films in infrared. An ideal solution on construction sites that do not have electricity. And, a surprise awaits anyone who enters the site anyway: Our towers are all equipped with a very powerful loudspeaker. They do not play pre-recorded messages. It is the operator who calls the person directly to put them on the run “. It is a very efficient system. Here is another really specific point of the proposed solution: We control each step of securing a project internally (from delivery to monitoring) thanks to software designed by Bauwatch and professional security teams. This allows us to have information at any time, including during the day. If there is a disconnection for example, we will be alerted immediately confirms Lucile David.
AI in Deep Learning
What also makes the difference is of course the artificial intelligence: ” This is one of the big pluses of our system. » The AI detects everything that happens in the specific fixed areas. ” Contrary to the infrared which is triggered impromptu, everything is analysed: a cat, the wind… We only call the police or a company to clear up doubts if there is someone who does not shouldn’t be there. “The icing on the cake, it is an AI in Deep Learning: ” This means that it improves gradually by learning. »
One detail remains: the price. Here again, Lucile David explains: “ If we compare a surveillance solution with a dog handler, we are ten times cheaper with a tower, six times less with a solar tower “. And if we compare it to a more traditional surveillance system with cameras scattered around the site? ” The big difference does not relate to the material, but to the removal of doubt. Our customers are often unaware of this, but they are invoiced with great frequency for a classic solution. This is not the case with us since we do not travel unnecessarily! »
