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Security on the move

In a country such as South Africa, where around 3,9 million people rely on buses and trains for transport every year, and where 80% of the freight is moved by road, it has become critical for those involved with the provision and management of public and cargo transport to embrace integrated security solutions.

So says Jack Edery, CEO of Elvey Security Technologies, quoting figures from the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) website. He also notes recently released crime statistics by the South African Police Service (SAPS) that show cash-in-transit heists and truck hijackings to have increased.

According to the GCIS website, South Africa is not only home to the longest road network of any country in Africa but also has a vast rail transport division (Spoornet) that operates via six major inland terminals and 19 satellite depots, which link up to all major ports. In addition, GCIS reports that Durban's port handles the greatest volume of seagoing traffic of any port in southern Africa, with 4551 seagoing ships passing through the port in 2005/06.

The magnitude and accompanying value of the country's people- and cargo-moving sector are indicative of its need for top-notch security systems, Edery believes. For him, one of the best security solutions for the transport of people and cargo on the market today lies in combining closed circuit television (CCTV) with digital video recording (DVR) where environment and budgets permit. "Integrated systems of this nature offer three major benefits," he says. "Firstly, there is a deterrent factor. The presence of cameras has been proven to reduce theft and deter criminal activity, which has the effect of making travel by public transport safer. Secondly, such systems allow for realtime monitoring and accordingly better observation of those boarding the vehicles and on-board activity. It also provides reliable channels for instant reaction to emergency situations. Lastly, recorded footage enables people to review incidents in hindsight and then put together evidence for use in hearings or court cases."

Key to the efficacy of such systems is their technological advancement, which he says must include high image resolution where required, accuracy, a reasonable degree of affordability and resistance to vandalism.

Four pillars of public transport management and security

For Francois Smuts, Elvey's CCTV product specialist, effective transport security solutions comprise four pillars, namely traveller safety, driver safety, avoidance of the misuse of vehicles and the elimination of vandalism.

It is not always practical or cost-effective, however, to install complete integrated systems in what are effectively mobile applications, he points out, hence the use of different technology in different environments. "Because the nature of public transport is mobile, one has to use GPRS or TCP/IP technology. Unlike the rest of the world, where the bandwidth backbone is very advanced, South Africa has limited bandwidth capabilities. To exacerbate the matter, this already-limited bandwidth is shared by countless cellphone and 3G users, which presents huge challenges. These are, however, being resolved in areas such as city centres by the establishment of wireless networks," he says.

Buses and trains

Bus transport security is best done with a CCTV solution, Smuts believes, which has a major deterrent factor and also offers analytical capability which can alert the central monitoring station to incidents and allow for the identification of people. "Bus transport does not usually require live monitoring but rather incident management via after-the-event footage," he says. "Most complaints are lodged once the journey is over, which makes it viable to manage incidents in hindsight."

Train transport security, however, is a very different scenario, he says, owing to ongoing criminal incidents such as people being thrown from moving trains, theft and vandalism.

"Incidents of this nature require systems that offer live monitoring capabilities in conjunction with physical deterrents such as patrols and the presence of security personnel." For him, the best solution is an event-driven system complete with highly visible, onboard panic buttons and a strong manpower component.

"In environments prone to criminal activity, there needs to be a physical deterrent factor backed up by technology and a central monitoring station that has the power to remotely halt the train if necessary. It is not possible to utilise the same system in bus and truck transport security owing to the very real danger of causing an accident should vehicles be remotely stopped on the road. Trains, though, can be stopped anywhere, even in tunnels, which can then be blocked off to prevent perpetrators getting away."

Optical fibre technology

Among the many benefits of optical fibre transmission technology, which is to be found on some of the country's major highways, is its ability to ensure effective communication from the cameras to the control room, according to Smuts.

This technology outranks network-based technology in that it is both immediate and offers full resolution and speed, he notes further. "With IT-based transmission, there are latency issues and image quality is also often reduced in order to allow for multiple images streaming. This invariably requires frame rate and image quality to be sacrificed, whereas with fibre-optics, the images are high resolution and realtime from a multitude of cameras.

The crux of the matter, though, is the availability of infrastructure and budget, he says. He adds: "Video analytics speed and accuracy depend on image quality and best possible frame. Conventional video motion detection systems have evolved into technologically advanced video analytics systems that can differentiate between moving objects, distinguishing between human and animal, and identifying missing and stationary objects. Video analytics has become an essential, intelligent component for transport monitoring systems and is used to raise events and/or trigger alarms." This, he says, allows for more effective monitoring by operators. "Because the technology makes the decisions, operators can be more productive than they would be if they were totally focused on watching the same image. The technology is able to filter different incidents and give alarms where necessary which are then acted on by trained personnel."

Used successfully on certain stretches of the country's busiest freeways, Smuts says video analytics systems are being programmed to hone in on stationary vehicles. This allows for traffic and safety monitoring in areas where any unmoving vehicle will stand out. However, the technology is not effective in areas such as intersections where vehicles are often still. In hotspots, therefore, where smash-and-grab criminals and hijackers prey on sitting targets, the best system is intense camera monitoring in the form of state-of-the-art CCTV, he maintains.

Container and truck door security

According to Ports and Ships, which provides news and in-depth reporting from the ports, harbours and shipping lines serving southern and Sub-Saharan Africa, July 2007 saw a 17% increase in volumes handled at South African ports compared with June. The newsletter reports further that the total cargo handled in July 2007 in all SA ports was 22 044 million tonnes, compared with 18 808 million tonnes in June.

Says Gideon Wheeler, Elvey's CCTV technical manager: "Containers and trucks are most vulnerable when they are at rest, which makes the security risk higher. The need to enhance security in this respect has led to breakthroughs in locking technology by specialist companies. Today, access is being controlled by intelligent locking devices that bear no resemblance to the chains and padlocks used - and regularly bypassed by bolt cutters - in days gone by."

For Smuts, this cutting-edge technology fits in with globally accepted risk management principles regarding container and truck security. "The question of how to secure them is repeatedly asked all over the world. Installing cameras on vehicles and containers is not the norm although this does depend on the value of the goods within. Rather, the commonly supported solution is to create a deterrent factor for prospective intruders who stand to be picked up by perimeter security systems, apprehended by security personnel and whose images will be recorded by CCTV for later identification and action."

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