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Real-time bus CCTV cameras trialled
28 October 2008Transport for London (TfL) has begun a trial of CCTV cameras on buses that relay real-time images to a central control room.
The six month trial will be on 21 buses on an undisclosed route in north London. The real-time images will be monitored by TfL and the Metropolitan Police.
"If this trial is successful then we will consider rolling out the system on other routes as part of our campaign to stamp out the casual disorder that led to a culture of fear on public transport," the London Mayor Boris Johnson said.
Although all buses already have CCTV onboard, the recorded images are stored on the bus on a separate hard-drive and a request must be made to access it. With the real-time images, the emergency services could react immediately to any disruptive behaviour.
Andy Thompson, performance manager at London Buses, said, "We know this technology works, and now we are going to test its application to the London bus network. While crime is low on London buses, we know there is more to do, which is why we are always looking at ways to improve safety, and our passengers' perception of safety, while they travel on our network."
The TFL has correctly identified that their CCTV network is currently not fit for purpose. However, the announced plans do not go far enough to rectify the situation, and there are several other key strategies that should be deployed to dramatically reduce crime with CCTV technology.
The new measures announced merely enhance reactive observation of crime, rather than enabling proactive prevention. One of the biggest challenges with CCTV being effective is ensuring that the watchers are being watched, and currently the surveillance teams clearly don’t have enough time or the inclination to monitor the footage and respond to the action. Therefore, the TFL must look to deploy ‘smart’ CCTV systems that can analyse the behaviour of criminals as it happens to allow the proactive prevention of crime. These ‘smart’ systems transmit the video image that is then automatically monitored for a range of simple to complex behaviours, such as unattended objects, undue dwell times, loitering and intrusion.
Smart CCTV systems have been used in airports throughout the world, and provide an excellent example of a complex environment that has a high security threat and high area footfall. With the UK gearing up the 2012 London Olympics, it is vital that the security and transport services don’t rely on outdated systems to prevent and detect malicious activity. The promised initiatives will go some way in improving the situation, but there is still a long way to realise the full potential of CCTV in the prevention of crime on our streets.
Richard Farnworth, General Manager, Enterprise Solutions, NEC
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