Reliance Protect, the leading provider of lone worker solutions, has reinforced its commitment to personal safety by being one of the first to combine the benefits of live audio and video stream functionality, coupled with GPS user location, in a single device.

The solution comes in the form of the innovative VB400 body worn camera, which is designed to enhance lone worker safety through the use of cutting edge features that accelerate response decision making, provide powerful evidence capture, improve speed of response and prevent incidents from escalating.

Lone worker safety devices and smartphone apps are traditionally audio only, which often means that alarm receiving centre (ARC) operators have to interpret events as they unfold only through what they can hear   Location information can also be sent via a lone worker safety device or app.  To enhance their safety, lone workers are sometimes also given body worn cameras to act as incident deterrents and to capture powerful evidence, which means that they have to carry two devices. This can be awkward and cumbersome.

To bridge that gap, Reliance Protect has combined live audio, video and location information for when users want to raise the alarm and have the incident monitored and escalated for response.  Furthermore, given that the user may also want to use the camera just to capture video evidence – and not raise an incident to be monitored – the VB400 enables them to just record the audio and video within the body worn camera element of the product.

The company’s lone worker services director, Chris Allcard, commented, ‘Cleaners, security personnel, social workers, traffic wardens, parking attendants, estate agents, healthcare professionals, tradespeople, delivery drivers, postal workers and those employed across the retail sector are just some of those who are at a heightened risk from theft, violence and assault. We recognised the need for a solution that could combine innovative technology, such as integrated live streaming, as well as Global Positioning System (GPS), and Bluetooth functionality, in a rugged, robust, compact and easy to use the device, that enables the user to raise an alarm through an ARC and also gives them the option to just record evidence on the camera without raising an alarm.  Our solution provides them with different options.’

With best in class performance and connectivity, VB400 offers 1080p high definition video streaming and recording. Its superior battery performance delivers up to 12 hours of continuous recording with pre/post record options to capture interactions leading up to and after an incident. Meanwhile, GPS positioning technology provides location information for mobile users and Bluetooth connectivity with other VB400 cameras to provide peer assisted recording.

VB400 can also stream live footage, which can be accessed by authorised individuals within Reliance Protect’s BS 5979 Category II ARC, where incidents can be monitored as they happen by operators, enabling faster decisions on the most appropriate and effective course of action. The video files are automatically uploaded, stored and managed securely in the cloud via the Reliance Protect VideoManager portal, where they can also be edited.

Chris Allcard concluded, ‘Audio functionality and associated location information has been well established within lone worker safety solutions for many years but combining it with live video presents a far more effective solution for understanding what’s going on before, during and after an incident. Giving the user the option to just record video for evidence, or raise an alarm with a live stream gives the user the best of both worlds.  Not only do body worn cameras offer a more comprehensive way to gather evidence, they act as an overt deterrent when an individual exhibits aggressive behaviour.

‘What we are doing with the VB400 is gaining a great deal of interest across a diverse range of vertical sectors, particularly as we come out of lockdown and people return to their usual working activities. It represents an excellent example of how the innovative use of technology can provide a greater level of protection.’

For further information please contact protectsales@reliancehightech.co.uk or visit our body worn cameras page.