Biometric token system

Dog squad to get new members

Face-recognition cams

Under vehicle scanners

More drones

Body cameras

Additional baggage scanners

14 Segways for crowd control

All stations to get systems in phases

Text by Christin Mathew Philip

With a daily passenger traffic of more than two lakh, KSR Bengaluru City is the busiest railway station in the city. Equipped with an access control system to reduce entry of people at multiple points, it’s set to get more high-tech facilities for passengers’ safety.TOI gives you a low-down on the new systems expected to be in place by next month.The system will prevent touts from occupying seats of unreserved coaches in longdistance trains. Railway Protection Force will soon install five machines at KSR City and three at Yeshwantpur station, which will capture passengers’ biometrics and photos. RPF personnel will issue tokens to passengers on a firstcome first-served basis, a few hours before the train’s scheduled departure.Three dogs of Belgian Malinois breed will be inducted in RPF’s dog squad, which has nine canines at present. These dogs will be used for anti-sabotage checking of trains, platforms, parcel offices and other important railway areas to prevent untoward incidents. The same breed was also part of the US Navy Seals team that raided Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan on May 2, 2011. The full-grown Malinois is a medium-sized dog with a mahogany coat and black markings. All sniffer dogs will be don GoPro cameras, which will capture footage on a real-time basis. Visakhapatnam station recently inducted canines with such cameras.To identify criminals entering the station, RPF will install 150 face-recognition CCTV cameras at KSR Bengaluru. The real-time face-recognition software will alert the RPF command centre about known offenders entering stations with the help of advanced artificial intelligence without disrupting traffic flow in and out of the premises.To detect objects like bombs that could be hidden or attached to the bottom of a vehicle, RPF will set up four under vehicle scanning systems at the station. On stopping over it, the vehicle is scanned from below and the pictures can be seen on the computer monitor. Another two will be set up at Yeshwantpur.To step up surveillance activities and for better crowd management, RPF will induct four more drones at the station. Currently, it has two to monitor crowds.To keep tabs on the behaviour of officials and passengers, RPF will procure 185 bodyworn cameras for the station. RPF personnel will don the gadgets, which will also help gather crucial evidence to help prosecution.Equipped with one baggage-scanning machine at present, the station will get five more. Luggage will be thoroughly checked before passengers can access platforms.For effective crowd control and patrolling, RPF is planning to procure 14 Segways. The batteryoperated ones will protect railway property and ensure passenger safety, apart from increasing response time of the force.At a time when criminals are adopting new technologies and methods, our security systems also need to be updated. We are beginning with these systems in Bengaluru, which will be installed at all stations in a phased manner. KSR City railway station will get an airport-like security system and Phase 1 of the project will be ready by March-end.-Debashmita Chattopadhyay Banerjee, senior divisional security commissioner (SDSC), RPF, Bengaluru