What is a Safer POD?

In line with escalating threats, property managers, site managers, and other key decision makers are tasked with finding new ways to protect their valuable assets, staff, and the public against intrusion, anti-social behaviour, and theft.

This has led to a growth in popularity for perimeter intrusion detection devices, which promise effective deterrence and detection in an easily managed package.

Often referred to as ‘PID’ devices, perimeter intrusion detection devices in the site security industry have also been called security drones, CCTV towers, or security daleks by both the public and providers alike.

Safer Group offer our own range of PID devices under the Safer POD® family name. This article will explore the Safer POD® family, identify what it is, what specific devices in the family are capable of, and explain how our Safer POD® range differs from other PID devices on the market.

In addition to offering fixed CCTV, Safer Group design and manufacture the Safer POD® device range, with POD meaning “portable observation device”. 

Our Safer POD® solutions are perimeter intrusion detection (PID) devices, designed to offer temporary project protection across a span of industries including construction, retail and vacant properties.

They combine intruder detection and deterrence technology with 24/7 live monitoring by in-house control room operators.

The device doesn’t just protect sites from intrusion and theft. Add-ons like smoke or heat sensors and water detectors or shut off valves further enhance the solution’s fire and flood detection capabilities.

Whether it’s a fence-mounted system or a more common standalone unit, perimeter intrusion detection devices provide early, reliable, and proactive warning of unauthorized access to protected premises.

This makes them a critical first line of defence against threats. An alert from a PID can be enough to deter a potential intruder or give a site manager enough warning to deal with the emerging threat.

Unlike traditional security (like standard CCTV or manned guards), PIDs are designed to alert the site keyholder and deter criminal activity before it occurs, offering secure protection through deterrence and video verification of incidents before, during, and after the event.

Most options on the market are specifically tailored to construction deployments. It is this industry that is most closely associated with the PID.

Seen as a replacement to traditional security, it is not uncommon however for these risk mitigation strategies to be used in conjunction with each other.

All Safer POD® devices offer at least:

• Detection technology (HDR cameras) for high quality capturing of emerging incidents.

• Local visual and audible alerts for enhanced deterrence.

• False alarm filtering, anti-masking, and wildlife immunity.

• Tilt/impact sensors to halt tampering.

• Anti-jamming and anti-masking for uninterrupted coverage.

• Remote monitoring by Safer Group, 24/7 for immediate response.

• Up to 100 additional devices (subject to survey) including smoke, heat, and CO2 sensors.

The Safer POD® range contains 6 PID devices which all offer unique configurations to best fit a particular use case or client need.

These devices are the Safer POD® S1, X1, S3, S4, X4, and S7. Our Safer Scout can be included in this group when deployed in its role as a secondary device.

The first PID device that Safer Group brought to market was the Safer POD® S1. This is a modular, solar-powered, autonomous asset protection device with 360-degree, 30-meter-range detection.

The Safer POD® S1 broke through as the device is tech-driven, with state-of-the-art detection compared to its class rivals.

Officially launched in 2022, modular construction allowed the Safer POD® S1 to be deployed in remote areas, or on unmanned projects like vacant properties, without the need for continuous maintenance.

The Safer POD® S1 has continued to evolve as the requirements of the security marketplace have changed.

For instance, 2024 saw the release of the Safer POD® X1. This device enhances the offering of the S1 with the addition of dynamic luminance technology, a pulsing live strobe that acts as an enhanced visual deterrent.

The Safer POD® range is designed to be highly adaptable, with each device suitable for a wide range of sectors and environments where varying concerns like security, fire and flood detection are critical.

Safer POD® devices can be utilised when securing both short and long-term projects. Deployments can be scaled and configured to meet specific site requirements as projects grow.

With customisability at the fore, the Safer POD® range contains solutions to fit even the most bespoke security deployments.

This alone sets it apart from other PID providers or traditional methods of security which can be limited to the demands of the construction environment.

A good way of demonstrating this adaptability is by comparing the heights of the shortest and tallest devices in the Safer POD® family.

The shortest devices in the range are the Safer POD® S1 and X1 which both measure 1.2m tall. The Safer POD® S7 is the tallest device in the range.

With mast fully deployed, it stands 5.7m tall with a footprint of 2m x 2m. With a scale of solutions ranging from the compact to the robust, the Safer POD® family will have the right solution for you.

Devices like PIDs have, in the past, been assumed to only have been found on construction sites.

However, owing to their modular construction and rapid deployment capabilities our Safer POD® solutions have been deployed in a variety of different, uniquely challenging environments.  

For instance, in recent years, the Safer POD® S1, X1, S4 and X4 have been successfully deployed in retail settings to tackle what has been described as an epidemic of retail crime.

Successful trials with police forces like Durham Constabulary have seen further deployments by other constabularies and retailers keen to combat growing trends.

On top of this, vacant properties, railway networks, civil engineering projects, solar or wind farms, data centres, and sites of national importance have all been protected by Safer POD® devices.  

In recent times, shifting regulations from groups like the HSE and BSI - in addition to pressures from insurers - have led to a priority change amongst project managers. 

The Safer POD® family addresses that emerging need with the incorporation of fire detection and flood prevention.  

With rapid deployment for all devices and optional add-ons which can provide enhanced risk mitigation against fire and flooding, the Safer POD® family offers devices capable of providing full risk mitigation on your project. This is just as important as physical security to most projects. 

The Safer POD® family, with its modular, sustainable, autonomous asset protection devices, broke the industry mould with tech-driven, state-of-the-art detection.  

The security industry is constantly evolving; even with new technologies emerging, increasingly advanced solutions are now required to tackle criminals.  

Safer Group are at the forefront of this evolving landscape, and our Safer POD® devices are leading the way. As the needs of our clients have grown, the Safer POD® range has evolved with them. 

Full risk mitigation, still backed by 24/7 in-house remote monitoring by Safer Group, continues to set our Safer POD® devices apart.

Whether you call them PIDs, security drones, CCTV towers, or security daleks, the Safer POD® range contains the right perimeter intrusion detection (PID) device for your project.