'Super intelligent' 400 CCTV cameras scheme for Glasgow Published duration 29 April 2013

image caption A new generation of CCTV cameras could be used in Glasgow for crime and suicide prevention

Plans are being drawn up to install more than 400 "super intelligent" CCTV cameras in Glasgow which could be used in terrorism and suicide prevention.

The cameras would be able to raise the alarm when they detected bags being left unattended or when someone climbed up on to a bridge parapet.

The project is one of several Glasgow City Council is looking at funding with a £24m UK government grant.

It secured the cash to make it one of Britain's first "smart cities".

The grant was offered by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), a body set up by the UK government in 2007 to stimulate technology-enabled innovation.

Cities blueprint

Its Future Cities Demonstrator, as the prize is known, is intended to act as a blueprint for other cities.

On Monday, Glasgow City Council said it was now beginning to put in place the framework to bring its wider vision to life.

The programme includes the creation of a new technology operations hub in the east end headquarters of Glasgow Community and Safety Services (GCSS).

More than 400 new "super intelligent public space CCTV cameras" will replace the existing network.

Their operators will be based in the new hub alongside specialists from TRAFFCOM - the team in charge of the city's traffic lights and traffic cameras, who currently work from separate bases.

Glasgow City Council hopes to buy cameras which could automatically detect unusual activity, such as unattended bags or people on bridge parapets, before alerting the emergency services.

Other ideas for development include using mobile phone technology to allow residents to find the quietest route into the city centre or the hospital Accident and Emergency unit with the shortest waiting time.

City council leader Gordon Matheson said: "Winning this funding was a major coup for Glasgow. Now we're putting the teams and infrastructure in place to realise the potential of a hugely ambitious and far-reaching programme which will permeate all sectors of city life.

"This flagship programme may be in its infancy but, once complete, we hope it will provide a blueprint for other cities to follow."