The Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening MP, on May 17 officially opened British Transport Police’s new London CCTV Hub. It gives access to 33,000 cameras belonging to Transport for London, Network Rail and 13 rail operators in London and the south east. BTP Deputy Chief Constable Paul Crowther said: “This facility represents a step change in the way we handle CCTV, which is an increasingly valuable tool in helping us keep the rail network safe. We can now handle the many different systems and formats used by rail operators from a single hub, speeding up retrieval and processing of CCTV, saving police officer time and speeding up investigations.”
The hub opened as BTP announced the latest national crime figures for 2011-12. Recorded crime on Britain’s railways fell for the eighth year in a row with 9.1 per cent less crime in 2011/12 than the previous year. Justine Greening said: “This is a wonderfully impressive facility. It joins up disparate CCTV systems so we are better able to tackle crime. We are now on the cusp of using this technology much more effectively.”
The £14m hub was financed by Network Rail, the Department for Transport and London Underground. As well as downloading video to put together evidential packages and to assist in identification of suspects, the hub can track individuals in real time where there is intelligence to suspect them or where there is suspicious behaviour.
Howard Collins, Chief Operating Officer at London Underground, said: “The safety and security of passengers and staff is our top priority and CCTV cameras are essential in helping maintain a low crime environment on the Tube network. The CCTV Hub and the 13,000 cameras on our network help combat crime and anti-social behaviour, give necessary reassurance to passengers and provide a real deterrent to those with intent on committing crimes.”
Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), said: “Bringing together vital information gathered through CCTV by all operators serving London and the south east, plus that of BTP and Network Rail, means that the industry is able to ensure rail travel in the capital is safer than ever. Train companies have been improving and extending their own CCTV, and the new central hub will build on that to not only benefit the millions of people visiting and travelling around London this summer, but also those commuters and passengers who use the network every day. The Hub will help the industry continue to reduce the level of crime on the railways, and reassure passengers that we are always working hard to keep them as safe as possible.” BTP asked that the exact location of the CCTV Hub is not disclosed for security reasons.
About BTP
British Transport Police is the national police service for Britain’s railways. BTP deals with major and minor crime, disorder and incidents, and covers rail in England, Wales and Scotland, including London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, the Glasgow Subway and the Midland Metro and Croydon Tramlink. It has 2,914 police officers, 322 Police Community Support Officers, 190 Special Constables and 1,316 support staff.
