Boris: live CCTV on buses to stop thugs

In his first spending pledge of the campaign, the Tory Mayoral candidate said he would bring in a six-month trial of the high-tech system on the worst 20 bus routes in the capital should he be elected.

Police and bus companies would be able to see in real time what was happening on the top deck of buses, helping them to clamp down on anti-social behaviour.

Under the £150,000 pilot scheme, police officers responding to "code red" calls for assistance would be able to tap into CCTV on their way to the incident via handheld devices.

Mr Johnson said: "This issue is of crucial importance to people's lives in London and they deserve to travel around our great city in comfort and safety. It is unacceptable that there is a culture of fear and intimidation on some of our bus routes and I'm determined to do something about it. That's why my first spending pledge in this campaign will centre on this important issue".

The technology - designed by Integrated Security Solutions and pioneered by the American military - would allow CCTV footage to be beamed live from all buses to a control room or mobile devices.

Transport for London had set aside the money for a six-month trial but it was shelved last month amid concerns the £20 million cost of installing the system across the capital's bus network would be too expensive. However, the Tory candidate claimed it could be unrolled on the most dangerous routes for just £3,000 per bus - a fraction of the cost transport firms spend on fighting graffiti and crime on the buses every year.

The Met Police is understood to be behind the scheme, which passed its trial run by TfL with flying colours.

It came after official figures showed that attacks on London bus passengers were becoming increasingly common, despite an overall drop in crime on the network.

The number of attacks on bus passengers rose from 4,029 last year to 4,167 - a 3.4 per cent rise - and now accounts for a quarter of all crime on London's buses.