Chichester Council Strengthens Fleet Safety And Compliance With Sentinel Systems

Chichester Council Strengthens Fleet Safety And Compliance With Sentinel Systems

Client: Chichester Council

Industry: Local Authority

Product Solutions: Fleet View, MDVR Systems, Reversing Radar Alerters, Incident Buttons

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“My goal now is simple. Every vehicle that goes out needs to have working cameras so that everyone is protected in the event of an incident. Sentinel makes that happen.”

Chris O'Brien, Transport Manager, Chichester Council
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About Chichester Council

Chichester Council operates a busy mixed fleet delivering essential local services, including refuse collection and street cleaning, as well as highways support and grounds maintenance.

Transport Manager Chris O’Brien is responsible for the workshop, keeping the council compliant, overseeing all vehicles, and making sure they are safe, legal, and ready for daily operations.

The fleet currently comprises just shy of 90 vehicles, including 49 HGVs, along with a wide range of other assets such as refuse vehicles, sweepers, tippers, vans, and a tractor. With a vehicle replacement programme now confirmed for vehicles due in the next three years, the council is taking the opportunity to lift its safety and CCTV standards across the board.
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The Partnership

In the past, Chichester Council has dealt with on-road incidents involving its vehicles, and in some cases camera footage gave a clear picture of what had happened. Because camera coverage wasn’t universal across the fleet, there was a growing need for greater protection.

At the same time, responsibility for vehicle camera systems had been split between three different suppliers. That meant multiple platforms, different contacts, and no single point of accountability when issues needed fixing, which became a major source of frustration for the workshop team.

Chichester Council now works directly with Sentinel Systems to specify, supply, and support vehicle safety equipment across the fleet. Sentinel acts as the single point of contact, giving Chris and the workshop one partner for equipment, installation, and ongoing support.

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“Previously we had three different companies involved in managing the systems, and it was a nightmare trying to get them all pulling in the same direction. Having Sentinel as one point of contact has simplified everything. Working with the Sentinel team is great because getting the job done is straightforward from start to finish.”

Chris O'Brien, Transport Manager, Chichester Council
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The Solution

Eight new vehicles have been fitted with a complete Sentinel package. Each one has an HD 5-camera system with a 2TB solid-state MDVR, GPS, and 4G connectivity, giving the vehicle full camera coverage all the way around. Every vehicle is connected to Sentinel Fleet View, so the transport team can track vehicles with a full suite of telematics, log in to download footage the moment it’s recorded, or watch live if they need to. Fleet View gives the council a clear view of fleet operations from a single platform.

To help crews reverse safely in busy residential streets, each vehicle also has a reversing radar linked to an in-cab alerter, which gives drivers escalating audible and visual warnings as an obstacle gets closer. An Incident Button is fitted as well, so drivers can flag an event at the touch of a button and the footage is marked at that exact moment. That saves the transport team from trawling through hours of recordings when they need to find something.

The council’s approach is built around putting the right equipment on each vehicle type while keeping things standardised and manageable for the workshop.

The new equipment has been well received by the people using it every day. The controls are straightforward, training requirements have been minimal, and operators have adapted quickly, which has made it easy to fit into daily operations. Because of the success of the partnership there are now plans to roll out the incident button across all vehicles in the fleet.

More reliable incident protection, less vehicle downtime, and a safer fleet for the council and its residents. Sentinel Systems’ partnership with Chichester Council ticks all the boxes.

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“In terms of service, it’s been really good. Anne in the office is our coordinator, and if I email her, she just tells me it straight, no beating around the bush. That honesty really helps us plan the workload. And the engineers, Iain and Dan, are good guys. They know our fleet now and just get on with the work.”

Chris O'Brien, Transport Manager, Chichester Council

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