Client: High Wycombe Judo Centre, High Wycombe
Project Period: 2023–2025
For many local businesses, the building is only a part of the story. What matters just as much is the community that depends on it.
High Wycombe Judo Centre is one such organisation.
Opened in 1987, this purpose-built dojo stands as one of the first of its kind in the UK. Built through extraordinary volunteer effort, it has grown into a much-loved community institution. For us at FHA Security, this was never just about protecting a building. It was about safeguarding a legacy, supporting the people who keep it running, and ensuring the centre could continue to feel welcoming while becoming significantly safer.
Understanding the Challenges: A Layered Risk Profile
Spread across two floors, High Wycombe Judo Centre is an unusually large and varied facility. Alongside its permanently matted 300 sq. m. dojo are spectator areas, crash mat zones, offices, a bar and café, balcony and patio spaces, and rooms used for gymnastics, children’s activities, private hire, and community events. Hundreds of members and visitors use the space each week.
Over time, however, the centre’s original security systems struggled to keep pace with how the building was being used. By mid-2023, the challenges had become hard to ignore:
- A Large, Complex Footprint
The building is comparable to a medium-sized supermarket, with multiple zones that require different security strategies. A single, generic solution would never have been effective.
- High-Risk Perimeter Areas
The balcony, patio doors, and side access points had become repeat targets for break-ins, alcohol was stolen from the bar, glass panels were vandalised, and side gates had become an easy entry point. The surrounding woodland environment also meant wildlife-triggered false alarms were a real risk.
- Car Park Constraints
The centre uses a large council-owned car park at the front, plus an overflow area to the rear. While incidents such as vehicle theft, drug activity, and dangerous driving occurred there, no equipment could be installed on council property, requiring a creative and fully compliant design.
- Legacy Alarm and CCTV Systems
- An alarm system nearing the end of its contract life
- Obsolete CCTV cameras with blind spots
- Recording equipment no longer meeting modern standards
- Access Control and Accountability
With multiple volunteers and staff members responsible for opening and closing the building, the impact on staff became a key concern. The centre is predominantly staffed by women, many of whom live in the local area. When the alarm was triggered, they were often the first to attend, without clear information about what had activated it or whether it was safe to approach the building, often at night.
Listening First, Designing Carefully
When Nigel, one of the directors from High Wycombe Judo Centre reached out to us, our first step was a full, in-depth site survey carried out by our experienced, risk assessment team members.. The aim wasn’t simply to replace equipment, but to understand how the centre worked day to day, where people felt vulnerable, and how security could support, not hinder, community use.
What quickly became clear was that no single system could solve every issue. The centre required a custom layered approach, one that addressed perimeter risks, internal access, staff safety, and long-term accountability, all while respecting the surrounding environment and local authority restrictions.
As a specialist security installer working across London and the South of England, this kind of complexity is where FHA Security adds the most value.
Building Confidence Through Better Systems
Once the centre’s existing alarm contract came to an end, we installed a completely new, app-enabled burglar alarm system designed around people rather than just sensors.
Each member of staff was given their own unique access, via secure app and individual codes, creating clear audit trails and removing the uncertainty that comes with shared credentials. Alerts now show exactly which device has been triggered, allowing staff to make informed decisions before attending the site. For the first time, there was clarity instead of guesswork.
Around the building, we strengthened protection across every external access point. Fire exits, side doors, balcony and patio doors were all secured using a carefully selected combination of perimeter beams, curtain-style detectors, and reinforced door contacts. Given the surrounding woodland, equipment was chosen specifically to reduce false alarms from wildlife while maintaining reliable detection.
To support this, AI-enabled external cameras were introduced. These systems can distinguish between people, vehicles, and non-threatening movement, dramatically cutting down unnecessary alerts while improving verification when something genuinely requires attention.
Rethinking CCTV
The existing CCTV system was replaced with a modern, high-definition setup designed to eliminate blind spots and provide meaningful visibility.
Live monitoring is now available in key areas such as the office and bar, with secure remote access for authorised users on phones, tablets, and desktops. Recording capacity was upgraded to ensure footage is reliable, clear, and available when needed.
One of the most challenging aspects of the project involved the car park. While incidents such as vehicle theft, drug activity, and dangerous driving were occurring, the land itself is council-owned, meaning no equipment could be installed there.
Our solution was a precisely positioned specialist camera mounted on the only permissible post within the centre’s boundary. Despite this limitation, the camera can zoom to capture number plates at the far end of the car park, track people and vehicles, and operate in full colour at night using integrated light. The result is a powerful deterrent and monitoring tool that remains fully compliant with restrictions.
Supporting the Centre as It Grows
By 2025, as High Wycombe Judo Centre continued to host major competitions, the team approached us with a new request: a dedicated system to support events.
We delivered a standalone competition camera and playback setup that allows officials to review matches, confirm decisions, and export footage for social media. The system also enables live streaming to platforms such as YouTube and is handed over to event organisers for full, independent control during competitions.
More Than a Client Relationship
Throughout the project, FHA Security worked closely with Sarah, the office manager, directors Nigel and Mike, and the volunteers who keep the centre running every day. Their commitment to creating a safe, inclusive space for the community shaped every stage of the work.
From the initial survey in June 2023, through the main installation in August 2024, to the competition system added in March 2025, the relationship has been one of collaboration and trust, supported by ongoing 365-day maintenance and support.
The Result: Peace of Mind for a Community Hub
Today, High Wycombe Judo Centre benefits from a fully modernised security environment that feels calm, controlled, and dependable rather than intrusive.
Staff have greater confidence. False alarms have disappeared. Systems are now capable of sending alerts and triggering sirens before break-ins happen through the most vulnerable area. Directors have clear visibility and accountability. And the centre can continue to focus on what it has always done best, training athletes, welcoming families, and serving the community.
For FHA Security, this project reflects the heart of our work: professionally installed, SSAIB-certified security solutions that protect people, places, and the communities built around them.
FHA Security provides expert design, installation, and ongoing support for business alarm systems, security camera systems, and integrated alarms & security solutions across London and the South of England.
No Comments Yet