Site Sentry offers more than traditional security services. The award-winning Western Australian company also helps improve all our living environments by deterring anti-social behaviour through their own super-smart surveillance CCTV systems.
In the tradition of all the best companies, Site Sentry was founded on a bright idea and a long-standing friendship. Company founders Paul McKiernan and Jason Nuttman, friends for over 25 years, identified a gap in the security market thanks to their experience of working in the construction industry. Theft from building sites was a constant thorn in the side of so many developments, with everything from bobcats to tools frequently being stolen. It was an ongoing blight which would affect budgets, timely delivery of projects and morale for those business owners left to pick up the bill.
“People will steal anything not tied down,” says Paul. “A vacant hardware store in Perth was raided recently for its copper cabling, with the thieves lassoing all of it in the ceiling and dragging it out behind their car.” It was a theft which would cost the building’s owner more than $1.2m.
With such large sums at stake, Paul and Jason realised that a game-changing approach to building security was required – and Site Sentry was born.
It was clear that CCTV alone wasn’t up to the job of protecting valuable assets; there needed to be a preventative aspect to the system which would deter the theft in the first place.
“Our mantra became that we wanted to stop crime before it happened but to do that, we needed more than just CCTV,” said Jason. “We needed more of a guard dog for the building site.”
After ‘kicking around an idea’ for a few years about eight years ago, the pair concentrated on creating a solution which had a really stable platform with 100 percent reliability and uptime.
“We built the first two systems in my mum’s backyard as prototypes – which won us our first clients and we took it from there,” said Paul.
A Powerful Visual Deterrent for 24/7 Site Protection
Site Sentry is a visually imposing CCTV system using modern technology and intentional design features to prevent or assist in combating crime. With Site Sentry units positioned strategically around key locations, local governments and land owners can achieve 24/7 surveillance.
The strong visual presence of the system also allows them to effectively allocate their resources while providing a strong sense of safety not achieved by patrols alone.
The system picks up on any activity nearby and activates a pre recorded message, siren as well as lights, and a recording begins. It’s designed to scare people off and through an app, the location’s project manager is also notified of a disturbance. Thanks to some clever tech, it’s also possible to address the trespasser directly by speaking to them directly through the system. In short, it’s like having eyes on the ground, at all times – whatever the time of day.
“Site Sentry works with the rangers and law enforcement officers to put more eyes on the ground, targeting trouble hot spots and locations like parks where anti-social behaviour can arise,” said Paul.
Thanks to the rugged nature of many building sites, it was important that Site Sentry could be adaptable to many different environments and deliver whether it was located in a city centre building project or suburban park or playground. It also had to be constructed from cutting edge components which could work autonomously.
“It’s backed by the most advanced technology from around the world, is driven by renewable energy and can work without anybody needing to switch it on and off,” said Paul.
Major construction clients like Multiplex and BCG, as well as governmental organisations like the Development WA have adopted Site Sentry across their properties and projects – and it is especially valuable when it comes to protecting derelict heritage sites which are often hotspots for graffiti and anti-social behaviour.
“The Parry Street Precinct, with eight heritage-listed properties, has experience an 83 percent reduction in police call outs and an 87 percent drop in monthly repairs after Site Sentry was implemented,” said Paul.
“The heritage-listed sites were acting as magnets for anti-social behaviour but given their heritage-listed status, it wasn’t possible to go in and quickly renovate them.”
Site Sentry devices would go off during the day and light up at night to avoid disturbing residents, and within 15 minutes, their security team would be on site.
“We’ve received fantastic feedback not just from our clients and the police, but also from the local community and business owners,” said Jason.
“Delivering that extra level of value is really what it’s all about.”
