Fear of crime drives renewed interest in live CCTV
16 September 2009
A perceived fear of crime and terrorism is driving renewed interest in CCTV systems by transport operators, and in particular those that offer live streaming of images and information, according to the engineers developing such systems for 21st Century Technology Solutions. This has prompted the company to showcase its new LiveView product at Coach & Bus Live next month.
The 21st Century LiveView technology is already in use on buses in parts of London. It allows users to view live images on demand and respond to any incidents immediately. The benefits, not only in terms of safety and security but also as a reassurance for passengers, means that there has been interest from bus operators around the country and even across Europe. The Home Office agrees that CCTV has a valuable role to play, as a spokesperson has commented: ‘CCTV is a crucial crime fighting tool and can help communities feel safer'.1
A recent survey found that 60% of people who say they feel more frightened or anxious than they used to claimed that it was due to a fear of terrorism2. Many UK bus operators have stated that tackling crime and anti-social behaviour is a priority in order to encourage more bus use, particularly ‘out of hours'. Last year, Roger Evans, as chairman of the transport committee, said ‘Anti-social behaviour and crime on buses remain a real concern' and he welcomed greater use of CCTV3.
Almost every day there are reports of binge drinking and anti-social behaviour that is blighting many cities and town centres. It has been claimed that 46 per cent of Londoners said they did not feel safe in their neighbourhoods at night and two-thirds of people thought crime was increasing in Britain. This is a major factor in forcing bus passengers to find alternative forms of transport or even to stay at home.
Paul Rogers, Director of Sales & Marketing for 21st Century Technology Solutions, comments: "We have worked closely with many bus operators over the years to develop systems to meet specific requirements. CCTV has proven its worth in many different ways - from providing peace of mind for passengers and staff to delivering evidence whenever an incident occurs. Now operators are pushing for the next development in the technology, which is the ability to view live images. Now they can respond to an incident the very moment it happens, while recording the images and other vehicle data for future use."
21st Century will be demonstrating LiveView and other CCTV and mobile technology products at Coach & Bus Live, from 7th to 8th October at the NEC, on stand T74 in the Technology Zone.
