Indian Railways installing Integrated Security System to deal with this threat

In view of persisting terror threats, Integrated Security System (ISS) is being installed at several railway stations to detect the suspected terrorists and identify the unattended luggage from the railway premises as well as the train coaches. In an interview with IANS, Arun Kumar, Director General of RPF said, "Other than the deployment of the RPF and the RPSF (Railway Protection Security Force) we have launched a commando batallion known as CORAS commando."

Kumar said that the RPF is now harnessing technology in a big way as far as railway safety is concerned. "Under the ISS, we have installed number of CCTV cameras at number of places, in train coaches, railway stations and we are going to analyse the feed from the CCTV cameras, using this artificial intelligence. This will provide us important feedback for the safety of the railway premises," he said.

"We have used the face detection technology as pilot project in Bengaluru and now it has also been installed at New Delhi railway station and several other stations. In the face detection system we also have a software to collect the feedback from the CCTV (Close circuit Television) cameras. We feed the software with the known criminals and terrorists sketches and photographs."

"And when that particular person comes in the camera, it gives alert to the system installed in the control room," Kumar said.

The RPF Director General said that the system has been installed at over 202 stations including New Delhi railway station.

The national carrier has planned to install CCTV cameras at all the major stations to keep an eagle eye on the miscreants and the terrorist activities on the rail network.

According to the railways, the national transporter carries about 1.2 million passengers daily on its vast network of over 62,000 km.

Kumar said that besides the face detection system, the RPF is trying to use many other softwares to get a better analysis of the entire safety system.

The DG said that the RPF has also introduced the body-worn cameras for the patrolling teams so as to avoid untoward incidents on the station premises.

A body-worn cameras are the devices connected to the uniforms of the personnel to record the incidents happening around.

To a question over the luggage and other objects lying unattended for several hours at the railway platforms and in the railway premises, he said, "We have a software connected via artificial intelligence to identify the luggage lying unattended for over 30 minutes on the rail premises."

"When any unattended object or luggage is detected, the artificial intelligence system alerts us, and our teams deployed at the station collect those luggage for inspection," he said.

Sharing other measures the RPF was taking to ensure safety and security of the passengers and the railway property, he said baggage screening system and biometric facility for the passengers travelling on long-distance trains are also planned in the coming days.

"We are putting the system into place and soon we will have the biometric reading of all the passengers on the stations they will board the trains," he said.

To a question over the security of the Vande Bharat Express going to Jammu and Kashmir in the backdrop of the revocation of Article 370, the Director General said, "For the Vande Bharat Express we have done security audit of the route."

He said three rail divisions fall from Delhi to Katra i.e. Delhi, Ambala and Ferozepur. "And accordingly with the help of the local police we have taken the security measures," he said.

Kumar also mentioned about the incidents of the stone pelting on the first Vande Bharat Express during its trial run when several of its window shields were damaged.

"In the first Vande Bharat Express we witnessed the incidents of the stone pelting so we have done community policing initiative and tried to control that," he said.

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"Beside the community policing, the new train also has the CCTV cameras installed in the coaches which will also help in improving the security system of the train," the RPF officer added.