G4S is to supply its security staff with cameras which can spot suicide belts and guns through clothing in a bid to foil any Paris-style attacks, after agreeing to a deal with software development company Digital Barriers. The security firm is understood to be giving the cameras to its staff working at large events such as sports fixtures or concerts with the intention of screening people more effectively, rather than traditional search methods, which take a longer amount of time and often lead to queues.
Digital Barriers claims the cameras – called ThruVis – are able to detect threats such as weapons or explosives through clothing from up to 10 metres, in what the company dubs a “virtual patdown”. Last November, 90 people were killed when three gunmen stormed the Bataclan theatre in central Paris, armed with guns and explosives, whilst in June, three suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at Ataturk Airport, in Istanbul.
An increase in the number of terrorist attacks on so-called soft targets, such as transport hubs and shopping centres, in recent years is understood to have caused G4S to review its screening systems for events where there are large crowds.
The company employs more than 5,000 security staff in the UK, providing services to companies such as Epsom Derby and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations. UK security chiefs have warned that a terrorist attack on UK soil is “highly likely” after other attacks in parts of Europe.
ThruVis is already used by a number of government agencies across the world to detect criminal activities such as drug smuggling at border crossings, but this is the first time it will be used for event security purposes. It can detect metal or plastic weapons, explosives, liquids, drugs and currency using Terahertz camera technology, which was originally developed in the UK for space research. Digital Barriers said in recent tests it was 100% successful in identifying anyone wearing a bomb vest or carrying a concealed weapon.
