WPP Electrical Ltd logo
  • Established 1985over 40 years in the Borders
  • 9 full-time electriciansAll 18th Edition qualified
  • SELECT 17074 · ECA 1683735NSI, MCS, OZEV & RECC
  • £10m / £5m insuredEmployers' & public liability
  • Free fixed-price quotesSupplied free, no obligation

Service overview

Security that covers the way people really get in

Most disappointing security installations fail in the same two ways: cameras that produce footage nobody can identify anyone from, and alarms that get switched off because they false alarm. Both are design problems, not product problems.

What the service covers

We design, install, commission and maintain intruder alarm systems and CCTV: control panels and keypads, wired and wireless detection, door and window contacts, external detection, sirens and signalling, plus IP camera systems with recorders, night capability, storage sized to the retention you need, and remote viewing. We also take on maintenance of existing systems and integrate security with fire detection and access control where a building needs it.

Who it is for

Farms and estates across Berwickshire and North Northumberland dealing with plant, fuel and machinery theft; commercial and industrial premises; retail, hospitality and licensed premises; and homeowners who want a system that is properly installed and maintained rather than a self-fit kit.

When it is needed

After a theft locally, when insurance requires an approved intruder system, when moving into new premises, when storing high-value plant or stock, when an existing analogue CCTV system cannot identify anybody, and when an alarm has been unmaintained for years and nobody knows if the signalling still works.

Why professional work matters

Camera position, lens choice, lighting and storage retention determine whether footage is evidence or wallpaper. Detector type and siting determine whether an alarm is trusted or ignored. We design around approach routes, lighting conditions and the actual assets being protected.

The cost of leaving it

What weak security actually costs

Rural theft is not opportunistic in the way people assume. Plant, quads, tools, fuel and metal are targeted, and sites get revisited.

  • Footage that proves nothing+

    Cameras sited too high, too wide, or facing into low winter sun produce images where nobody can be identified and no plate can be read. The theft is recorded and still unsolvable.

  • Recordings already overwritten+

    Storage sized for a week means a theft discovered a fortnight later has no footage at all. Retention has to be set against how quickly losses are actually noticed on your site.

  • Alarms nobody trusts+

    False activations from poorly chosen external detection, livestock or wildlife lead to systems being left unset. An unset alarm protects nothing and still costs to maintain.

  • Insurance conditions unmet+

    Where a policy specifies an approved intruder alarm and evidence of maintenance, a DIY installation or a lapsed service record can compromise a claim at exactly the wrong moment.

  • Repeat visits+

    A site that has been hit once and not visibly hardened afterwards is a known quantity. Deterrence, lighting, visible detection, signage and coverage, is a large part of what stops the second visit.

W.P.P. Electrical Fire & Security signage and external alarm sounder on a commercial unit

Our process

How the job runs, start to finish

  1. 01

    Step 1: Site survey and threat review

    We walk the site, look at approach routes, boundaries, lighting and what is actually worth stealing, and review any insurance requirements you have to satisfy.

  2. 02

    Step 2: Design and fixed-price quote

    A written proposal showing camera positions and fields of view, detection layout, storage retention and signalling, priced as a fixed sum. Free quotes supplied.

  3. 03

    Step 3: Installation

    Installed by our own fire and security team with proper cabling and containment, weatherproof terminations on external work, and supplies taken from a suitable protected source.

  4. 04

    Step 4: Commissioning and verification

    Detection walk-tested, camera views set and checked in darkness as well as daylight, recording and retention confirmed, remote access proven on your own devices.

  5. 05

    Step 5: Handover, training and maintenance

    You are shown how to set, unset and retrieve footage, given the documentation, and offered a maintenance contract so batteries, detection and recording are checked on schedule.

Payment by bank transfer (preferred) or card. Deposits on larger jobs only, agreed case by case before we start.

What you get

The difference it makes on your site

Installed and maintained properly

Systems designed, installed and serviced by our own directly employed fire and security team, managed by Scott Ruthven, not subcontracted to a third party.

Footage you can actually use

Cameras positioned and specified for identification at the points that matter, gates, doors, yards, rather than wide shots that record a shape.

Retention sized to reality

Storage set against how long a loss typically takes to notice on your site, so the recording still exists when you go looking for it.

Detection that stays set

External detection chosen and sited to cope with livestock, wildlife and weather, because an alarm that false alarms is an alarm that gets switched off.

Maintained under contract

Intruder and CCTV maintenance contracts keep batteries, detection, recording and signalling verified rather than assumed.

One contractor for security, fire and power

Alarms, CCTV, fire detection and the electrical installation from the same firm, so supplies, containment and interfaces are coordinated.

In detail

Cameras, detection and system design

The specification follows the question you need answered: deterrence, detection, or identification. They are not the same camera.

Camera types and lens selection

Fixed bullet and turret cameras for defined views such as gates, doors and fuel stores; wider coverage cameras for general yard awareness; and varifocal options where the required field of view is not obvious until commissioning. Resolution matters far less than framing, a correctly framed camera at a pinch point beats a high-resolution wide shot every time.

Night performance and lighting

Infrared, low-light and white-light cameras each behave differently in rural darkness. Where possible we pair cameras with LED floodlighting on PIR or photocell control, which improves both image quality and deterrence. Winter sun angles and yard lighting are checked at commissioning, not assumed from a daytime survey.

Recording, retention and remote access

Network video recorders sized for the number of cameras, resolution and retention period required, with recorders sited somewhere an intruder will not reach first. Remote viewing is configured on your phone or PC, and we set it up with you so you can retrieve and export footage without calling us.

Intruder alarm design

Control panels with wired or wireless detection depending on the building fabric, door and window contacts, internal movement detection, shock and vibration detection where appropriate, and external detection selected to tolerate wildlife and weather. Zoning allows part-setting so a building can be occupied and protected at once. Signalling options are discussed against what your insurer requires.

Farm, commercial and domestic differences

Farms need long cable runs, weather-hardened equipment, coverage of open approaches and protection for plant, fuel and tools spread across a holding. Commercial premises need part-setting, staff procedures and insurance-grade documentation. Domestic systems need simplicity and reliability above all, a system a household will actually set every night beats a complex one they will not.

Maintenance and system takeovers

Contracts covering battery replacement, detection testing, camera cleaning and refocusing, recording verification and signalling checks. We take on systems installed by others after a survey, and we will tell you plainly where existing equipment is beyond sensible maintenance rather than charging to service something that cannot do the job.

Accredited for this work

  • SELECT17074
  • ECA1683735
  • NSI Approved (Fire)NSI-000082/FS/S
  • BAFESP203 Registered
  • MCS via NAPITNEP-66400
  • OZEV ApprovedEV chargers
  • RECCRegistered
  • SMAS WorksafeSSIP approved

Before you call

Security & CCTV Installation: your questions answered

How much does an intruder alarm or CCTV system cost?

It depends on site size, camera count, detection required and retention period. We survey and design first and issue a written fixed price, so the scope is agreed before anything is ordered.

How soon can you quote?

Free quotes supplied. Larger multi-building or estate-wide designs can take one to two weeks.

How long does installation take?

A domestic or small commercial system is typically completed in a day or two. Larger farm and industrial installations with long cable runs follow a programme issued with the quote.

What accreditations do you hold?

SELECT (17074) and ECA (1683735) approval and SMAS Worksafe SSIP accreditation. Our NSI approval (NSI-000082/FS/S) and BAFE SP203 registration cover our fire detection and alarm work.

How long is CCTV footage kept?

Retention is a design decision. We size storage against how long a loss typically takes to be noticed on your site, and confirm the achievable retention in the quote rather than leaving it to default settings.

Can I view cameras on my phone?

Yes. Remote viewing is configured as part of commissioning and we set it up on your own devices, including showing you how to retrieve and export footage.

How long does a security system last?

Well-maintained systems serve for many years, though batteries, external cameras and detection are consumable items in a Borders climate. Maintenance visits catch them before they fail silently.

Do you maintain systems installed by other companies?

Yes, after a condition survey. If equipment is beyond sensible maintenance we will say so rather than charge to service something that cannot do the job.

Do you provide emergency call-outs?

Emergency call-outs are available, with priority for maintenance contract customers. Out-of-hours calls are answered for existing customers, charged at approximately 1.5 times the standard hourly rate.

Which areas do you cover?

The Scottish Borders and North Northumberland, including Coldstream, Duns, Kelso, Greenlaw, Chirnside, Eyemouth, Jedburgh, Wooler and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Related services

Security & CCTV Installation near you

Working from Unit 4 Home Pl, Coldstream TD12 4DT across the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland.

See the full list of service areas, read about the company, or return to the homepage.

Get a price

Harden the site properly.Start with a free survey.

Tell us what you need to protect and how the site is approached. You will get a written design with camera positions and a fixed price, not a box list.

01890 882981
  • Established 1985 | over 40 years' experience
  • SELECT 17074 · ECA 1683735 · SMAS Worksafe SSIP
  • £10m employers' and £5m public liability cover
  • Free quotes supplied

Request a free quote

The more detail you give us, the more accurate the price.

Keep looking

Related electrical services and areas we cover

Not sure which trade you need? Read about the family-run team behind WPP Electrical, browse recent commercial, industrial and agricultural electrical projects, or request a free fixed-price electrical quote.

Call 01890 882981Request a Quote