UWB strengthens campus security with a new control centre for faster emergency detection

UWB has prepared a new security control center for the new academic year, monitoring university premises around the clock and enabling faster responses to emergencies. It links CCTV, acoustic detectors and a high-speed data network. The upgrade cost CZK 5 million.

Gunfire, shouting or another unusual incident. The University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (UWB) has a security system that can detect potentially dangerous situations, alert staff and relay information to the security control room established this year. Depending on the severity of an incident, staff can contact the police, fire and rescue service or emergency medical services. The system operates around the clock, with UWB employees staffing the control room during the day and a security agency at night.

Until now, the university had no central security center, with individual building entrances monitored by reception and security staff. Although the new control room is located in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering building, security staff can also monitor footage and incidents from buildings in the city center on its screens. “We consider the safety of everyone who studies and works at the university one of our fundamental responsibilities. It is impossible to predict every emergency, but we can do everything we can to ensure that we can respond as quickly and appropriately as possible,” said UWB Rector Miroslav Lávička.

The modernization of the system took more than a year. This autumn, UWB plans to install new cameras, while new acoustic sensors have already been prepared in some faculties. These will be directly connected to the control room. Thanks to the university’s high-speed data network, information about an incident can also be shared via mobile devices. UWB has also introduced a new telephone line connecting directly to the control room. “The total cost is approaching CZK 5 million, with just under CZK 4 million covered by funding from the Czech National Recovery Plan. This funding enabled us to carry out the modernization on the scale required,” said UWB Bursar Martina Větrovská.

“I would like to emphasize that we approached the new security measures not only from a technological perspective, but also with respect for the privacy of students and staff, ensuring that everyday life at the university is not unnecessarily restricted,” explained Jan Blahož, Head of UWB’s Security Department.

Since last year, the university has also been using the KISS mass notification system, which allows it to send mass text messages, notifications through the UWB app and voice calls directly to the mobile phones of students and staff. “With the start of the new academic year, we are therefore reminding everyone, particularly new students, to register their phone number in the UWB Portal. Sending messages through KISS requires consent to the use of the registered phone number,” Jan Blahož added.

Contact line on the Control room of UWB: +420 377 635 555