Canada May Install Cameras on Transit Systems

Canada may install cameras on transit systems

OTTAWA, July 23 (Xinhua) — Canada is considering installation of surveillance cameras aboard buses and subway cars as its Transport ministry reviews the country’s security conditions in the wake of two deadly bombing attacks in London earlier this month, loca media reported on Saturday.

A working group helping the ministry to draft a new security blueprint may also suggest measures to boost the effectiveness of random bag searches and the presence of more uniformed officers at city transit facilities, the Canadian Press reported.

The blueprint has three elements to take into account– preventing an attack, preparing for one and dealing with the aftermath, the report cited Michael Roschlau, president of the Canadian Urban Transit Association, as saying.

Currently in Canada, closed-circuit cameras are generally limited to stations and platforms in transit system.

The group will also explore the replacement of standard garbage containers at transit stations with large, transparent plastic ones in which it is difficult to conceal a bomb, and random passenger searches, among other options.

It is expected to come up with the new security framework this fall, which will feed into the overall federal blueprint to be published next year.

Canada has increased vigilance on all public transit systems following the July 7 attack on London, which killed more than 50 people.