Zaun supplies French prison with new fences
A Wolverhampton-based security fencing manufacturer has been exporting its expertise across the English Channel to secure a prison in the north of France.
Zaun, which has an impressive track record that includes supplying metal fencing for the London Olympics and a string of major diplomatic and security conferences in the UK and abroad, has now provided almost 1,000 metres of its HiSec security fencing to Longeunesse prison in the Pas-de-Calais.
It is already used by the Home Office for UK prisons, but for the Longeunesse it has been powder-coated white to fit in with the more relaxed regime at the French jail.
The Gallic prison already has a multiple-use games area and three roof-top exercise areas with ball court and angled fencing merged into the sloped roofing angles.
It all made for a highly unusual job for Steel Drive-based Zaun, which worked on the 8.3 million euro (£6.2m) prison for 85 residents alongside the leading French construction company Spie Batignolles.
Adam Christie, who is Zaun's research and development manager, said: "This was a fascinating job with a fully integrated security system incorporating special gates and electronic locks all automatically activated from a central control room, made possible by a more generous budget than is typical with British prisons.
"The design of the fencing was also architecturally sympathetic so that it didn't disrupt the landscape significantly, which was really rewarding in itself.
"We are hopeful that the French Ministry of Justice might commission further prisons with Zaun and Spie Batignolles involved on the back of the success of Longuenesse."
Zaun designed six-metre fencing for the prison's internal perimeters, then 450 metres of five-metre high fencing beyond a five-metre 'dead zone' between the two fence lines.
The close mesh pattern of the HiSec fencing means that it is very difficult to cut through and almost impossible for anyone to climb over to escape.
The internal fence line also included a half-metre high 100 millimetres thick concrete 'kicker board' sunk 250mm into the ground to prevent tunnelling out of the French prison.
Zaun also supplied special gates with electronic locks automatically activated from a central control room and HiSec cladding to upstairs windows as part of the €200,000 (£150,000) fully integrated system for the French prison.
