CCTV on transport links and in city centres to rise

As a result of studies such as ‘The Report on the Surveillance Society’ (produced by the Surveillance Studies Network for the Information Commissioner’s Office), 2006 saw CCTV propelled into the limelight as individuals expressed grave concern about Britain becoming a “surveillance society”. Amid fears that CCTV may infringe on personal privacy, the benefits of surveillance as a crime-fighting tool began to fade.

However, Dr Ken Sutherland – the corporate director for surveillance solutions at Telindus – is predicting an upsurge in CCTV use throughout 2007. “This year, we are going to see the amount of surveillance deployed on public transport escalate in response to the heightened terrorist threat and for public reassurance.”

According to Sutherland, the use of surveillance technology on transportation systems can significantly improve the ‘uptime’ of services if an incident does occur. “The quicker an airport, tube station, train station or bus service can be up-and-running following an event the better,” said Sutherland. “The more effective the surveillance technology, the quicker the emergency services can decipher where and why an incident has occurred, and how they might respond to it.”

City centre surveillance is progressing rapidly, with managers clamouring for systems that are as flexible as possible.

Sutherland believes that it is only a matter of time before transmitting video images to hand-held PDAs becomes more widespread, with the sight of security forces across the UK using these assistants becoming the norm.

The BSIA has issued some advice on security for transport operators, covering lighting, CCTV and alarms, etc. Log on at www.bsia.co.uk for further information