06 SAFETY/SECURITYSUPPLEMENT
CCTV surveillance in focus for transport security
In today’s testing global environment the requirement for robust security measures in the transport sector has never been greater. Crucially, those responsible for ensuring the smooth running of this critical service have to contend with a broad range of challenges, from petty vandalism, assaults on staff, fraudulent injury claims, and large-scale terrorist attacks, to the financial constraints brought on by a tough financial climate. James Kelly, Chief Executive of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), reports on the importance of CCTV surveillance for the transport industry.
Whether looking at the road, rail, air or maritime sectors, the security of the transport infra - structure does not merely concern vehicles in transit, but also the safety of stations as well as operational hubs, such as depot sites, storage areas and head offices. For this reason, having in place a number of security systems, integrated together as part of a comprehensive security strategy, will ensure that all of the threats are addressed and taken care of.
The power of CCTV Arguably, one of the most popular security measures around is the importance of CCTV images in the transport sector which have demonstrated to be invaluable in a number of high profile incidents, such as the 7/7 bombings, where images of the perpetrators were obtained from Luton railway station, and for the aborted attack on 21/7, where four men were convicted thanks to evidence gathered off
28,000 CCTV recordings – then whittled down by police to seven hours of footage from buses, trains and stations. During both incidents, police were able to
utilise London’s extensive network of con - gestion charging cameras. ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) systems have proved to be especially beneficial, enabling the police to piece together the movement of vehicles in the lead-up to the incidents. Recent developments in the technology
have also allowed it to be become an increasingly effective crime fighting tool. With the advent of video analytics, images from CCTV cameras can now be automatically analysed to create useful information about their content, instantly alerting operators. The scope of video analytics is certainly
Video analytics such as object left is very useful for identifying suspicious packages left at stations for example
Eurotransport Volume 10, Issue 1, 2012
impressive and is constantly expanding. A particular application of this technology, invaluable in the protection against the risk of terrorist attacks in large areas, is object left/object removed. For object left this is especially useful in situations where a bag, for example, has been left unattended, so further action can be taken to ascertain whether there is an innocent explanation or, crucially, it is indeed a suspicious package that may necessitate evacuation of the immediate area. When it comes to object removed, this offers the ability to notify CCTV operators should an item be moved from a set location. This is of particular use with areas of the transport system such as railway and bus stations, where, due to their nature, it is not possible to carry out extensive security checks on individuals as you would in airports.
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