Saab wins Australian prison security contract

Defence and security company Saab has signed a contract with Baulderstone Pty Ltd to provide security services for the South Queensland Correctional Precinct near Gatton, Queensland. This contract marks the first major international introduction of Saab’s security solutions for protection of high-security locations and establishes Saab in the civil security field in Australia.

The project is a 300-bed women’s prison, the first stage of a development that is planned to eventually house 3000 prisoners. The system installed at the South Queensland Correctional Precinct follows on from similar solutions that have been widely installed in Sweden, including prison and probation services, airports and nuclear power plants. All security systems will be connected into a common infrastructure, creating a common picture and thereby enhancing the security.

“This is a breakthrough for Saab’s security solutions for protection of high-security locations on the international market,” says Gunilla Fransson, President of Saab Security. “The contract also confirms the strengths of the key concept of the system, bringing a higher level of awareness to the decision making process and creating the base for more decisive and pro-active operations.”

“We are pleased to be awarded this contract to support the Queensland Government (Queensland Corrective Services) and Baulderstone, where we will be leveraging Saab’s extensive technology expertise into this advanced security system,” says Lindsay Pears, Managing Director of Saab Technologies Australia. “We also see it as a positive opening for new growth in Queensland.”

Saab will be responsible for the design, development and delivery of the security services, including the Security Master Control System (Saab Integration Platform), as well as the integration of sub-systems and sensors. Saab’s project team will ramp up rapidly to approximately 30 people with the majority being based in Adelaide for the first twelve months before moving to support the site installation and commissioning in Gatton.

Baulderstone is the Managing Contractor and the Project Manager is Project Services, a business unit of the Queensland Department of Public Works. Final delivery is planned for 2011.

Saab’s civil security operations in Australia

Through more than twenty years of operational experience in Australia, Saab has built a reputation for technical innovation and superior project management that is well respected in the defence domain. Now Saab is bringing that expertise to new markets through the establishment of Saab Security Pty Ltd to provide leading edge solutions for the civil security market. In Australia, the company is led by Saab Technologies Australia which has its headquarters in Adelaide and offices in four other Australian states.

About the Gatton Prison security solution

Saab has continuously demonstrated the capability and capacity to successfully design, develop, integrate and deliver, complex programs in a cost effective manner, on time and with high levels of quality. Saab's experience in systems engineering and project delivery will be the key to reducing the technical risk associated with successfully delivering the security solution for the Gatton Women’s Prison.

Saab Integration Platform will considerably enhance the security effectiveness of the prison and improve staff safety. The system will consist of a customised selection of surveillance sensors that are linked together within the Security Master Control System. The controllers will be able to optimise the use of each sensor and the system as a whole to give timely warning of incidents to guards and other staff.

The speciality of Saab is systems integration. This gives the Queensland Corrective Services  the freedom to move away from traditional product biased companies to one that is truly vendor independent. Customers will benefit from the flexible use of new technologies while maintaining the ability to integrate existing or preferred sub-systems.

The Gatton Prison’s security system will be built upon an integrated platform using a proven network based architecture that has been implemented in locations which rely on flawless security such as prisons and airports in Sweden and the Ringhals and Oskarshamn nuclear power plants.   

Through the development and use of open standards, Saab provides a cost effective, internet protocol (IP) based security system that integrates existing technologies and allows for the incorporation of new IP based technologies as they become available in the market place. This allows customers to integrate legacy systems whilst still providing a fully extendable, open architecture to meet future technology needs.

The Security Master Control System involves the integration of sub-systems and sensors including:

• Security Management System network
• Intruder alarms with active end-of-line monitoring
• Electric locking system
• CCTV cameras
  
• Biometric identification (fingerprint and iris scanner)
  
• Key safes
  
• Heartbeat detector
  
• Number plate recognition
  
• Perimeter intruder detection systems
  
• Fixed and mobile duress alarms
  
• Intercom/PA system
  
• Digital audio recording
  
• Lightning prediction
  
• Contraband detection

For further information, please contact:
Saab Press Centre, +46 734 180 018
Mark Proctor, Marketing Manager, Saab Technologies Australia Pty Ltd, +61 413 893 446
www.saabgroup.com

This document provides additional information to the press release with reference number CU-09 023.  www.saabgroup.com/en/MediaRelations/Pressreleases

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

17 July 2009