Minority Report-style intelligent CCTV surveillance coming to trains

Train companies across the UK could soon be rolling out ‘intelligent’ CCTV systems which will be able to detect crimes in carriages before they happen. Reminiscent of the 2002 Tom Cruise film Minority Report, the tech works by scanning passengers’ mannerisms and patterns in behaviour to assess whether they are a threat to others. The intelligent CCTV is reminiscent of scenes in the 2002 Tom Cruise film Minority Report (Image: 20th Century Fox)The AI system checks live CCTV footage and when it sees that there may be an incident about to happen it can intervene through an onboard announcement.The announcement warns a suspect to back down, tells them that they are on camera and warns them that police may arrive.Siemens Mobility has offered its technology to train operators Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, Northern, ScotRail, Transpennine Express, and Southeastern.The Times reports that it is currently used by the Eurostar and nine other operators. Intelligent CCTV systems will be able to detect crimes on trains before they happen (Image: Getty)Unlike conventional CCTV, which can only look at offences after they have taken place, the iCCTV system alerts staff to any potential incidents.This includes examining body language to tell if a woman sitting alone feels threatened by a fellow passenger, or if she is happy to talk to them.And the AI system will be able to distinguish between a group of friends who are on their way home after a drunken night out, and a group who could start a fight.Siemens Mobility’s managing director of rolling stock, Sambit Bannerjee, said: ‘Our smart iCCTV technology is capable of spotting risky situations early on, for example automatically recognising when one person is ‘squaring up’ to another.’It then triggers an alert to the guard or person in the control centre, who can see the live video from the carriage and decide whether to make an announcement, intervene themselves or alert the police.’Because this smart digital technology uses machine learning it can be trained to identify many all kinds of different situations, so could transform the way we keep passengers safe on Britain’s trains.’READ MORE: Man, 44, arrested after woman raped in train toilet This infographic shows the features of Siemens Mobility’s ICCTV system (Image: Siemens Mobility) The iCCTV system alerts staff to any potential incidents (Image: Siemens Mobility)On the Siemens Mobility website it says: ‘Our Intelligent Closed Circuit Television (Intelligent CCTV) provides you with all information about occupancy levels, passenger flow, and safety-related incidents in the blink of an eye. ‘It supplements traditional monitoring with an active evaluation of video on board your entire fleet.’The results are analysed by powerful algorithms in real time and available for your crew, for passengers, and way-side systems. Usable in all rail-based vehicles, from trams to high-speed trains.It goes on to say: ‘Intelligent CCTV is part of an integrated Train IT system.”DON’T MISS’Pensions death tax’ warning as Hunt move threatens inheritances [ANALYSIS]Belgian radio caller demands Brexit voters ‘punished’ with extra taxes [OPINION]Drivers urged to use ‘magic’ one-button trick to defrost the car [TIPS]  Great Western Railway is one of the companies that has been offered the new technology (Image: Getty)’It offers a smart and safe way to turn real-time video data from your trams or trains into relevant information for personnel and passengers. ‘These applications help you to improve punctuality, passenger safety, and satisfaction – and support unattended driving.’Between April 2021 and April 2022, the British Transport Police recorded 1,168 sexual offences against women on the railways.The force, which polices the railway network of England, Wales and Scotland, also said there were 347 cases of exposure or voyeurism, and 587 other sexual crimes against women during the same timeframe.