1. An analytical recognition system, comprising: at least one video camera configured to capture a video sequence of a physical space; and a video analytics module configured to perform real-time video processing and analysis to: determine a crowd parameter by automated processing of the video sequence of the physical space; implement at least one algorithm configured to determine a rate of change in the crowd parameter and provide a vector indicating the facial direction of one or more individuals; obtain a threshold based on a prior value of the crowd parameter associated with the physical space during a prior time period; and automatically issue an alert in response to the rate of change in the crowd parameter exceeding the threshold, wherein the rate of change in the crowd parameter is indicative of crowd convergence or divergence.