If it has value, it will be stolen. This holds especially true for luxury and lifestyle products. For this reason, Geutebruck provides security solutions for Stadt-Parfumerie Pieper outlets, Germany's largest owner-operated perfume chain.

Founded in 1931 as "Seifen Pieper", today the company offers a wide range of branded products. None of the big names are missing. The 130 perfumeries sell the highest quality products, presenting perfume, cosmetics, toiletries and extensive beauty accessories in an attractive setting. The offer is not only popular, but also very "hands on" and thus relatively easily stolen. The company has tackled this problem with a video security concept that is based on deterrence as well as the efficient resolution of theft. Wellmann security technology has designed a modern security concept for this application, which was transferred relatively easily to all stores. The majority of the projects are now complete; all others are ongoing.

Visible Deterrent
Usually between 10 and 16 cameras were installed in each perfumery, positioned to capture critical areas. This is not done secretively, but rather as ostentatiously as possible! As soon as customers enter the store they see the multi-monitor operation in the entrance, providing an effective deterrent to potential thieves. The video security system is in operation 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. To ensure that images are recorded at the right time, the recordings are initiated based on events. This tool is called ­"Activity Detection". The images are stored locally on re_porter, Geutebruck's business surveillance system. If an incident occurs, the security control center at the company's headquarters can retrieve data remotely. In this case, image analysis tools facilitate the retrieval of relevant sequences.

Credit card fraud, for instance, is a relatively common occurrence. Every police inquiry with date, time and location initiates a search procedure that quickly provides clear results. The corresponding video sequence is found quickly and is provided to the police on a data storage medium. The images make it possible to identify the offender and provide proof of the payment process at the Eurocard terminal. Because the video data is tamper-proof and is admissible in court, the situation can get uncomfortable for the crooks. In this case, smiling when "paying" does little to help.