Local authorities must embrace technology to create safer communities

Written by Andrew Foster, Managing Director for Public Services at North

We all want safer communities, safer streets and less risk of criminal behaviour and threat in our local areas, don’t we? The recent rioting and anti-social behaviour that swept across much of the UK was a stark reminder that - in the blink of an eye - communities can go from quiet, welcoming spaces to volatile, unwelcome places that promote unrest and fear for local residents.

While the emergency services went above and beyond to control and manage these unprecedented situations, there was one unsung hero pivotal in bringing some of these criminals to justice - community safety technology. Advanced surveillance technology has supported in the prosecution of many people involved in the disturbing behaviour and has the potential to transform how we monitor, intercept and respond to criminals on the streets.

What we saw throughout August was that with the right digital technology in place, local authorities can provide much-needed support to the emergency services in bringing perpetrators to justice – days, weeks or even months after a crime has been committed. This is made possible through various new adaptations to the humble CCTV camera but most notably through live and retrospective facial recognition software.

Across England, the Met Police is quickly increasing its use of live facial recognition which works by mapping a person’s unique facial features and matching it against those on watch-lists. The potential of this technology is untapped, and while it is a force for good – we need to ensure people are equipped with accurate information about how it is used in communities, dispelling the misconception that Big Brother is watching.

Unfortunately, even with the many success stories about the enhanced surveillance technology at our disposal – we still find that its adoption is the exception rather than the norm for local authorities who should be leading the change in embracing and implementing advanced CCTV solutions, particularly in the face of increased demand and ever-increasing budget deficits.

For years, CCTV has been a staple tool in the community safety armoury used up and down the UK, but CCTV now has capabilities far more advanced than simply monitoring public spaces. Capabilities that can make the public purse go further and be more impactful.

We are acutely aware that local authorities have squeezed budgets that must support important facets of community wellbeing, including the delivery and management of high-quality homes and creating attractive and safe environments. And where budgets are stretched, value is key. That is where technology can play an integral role.

Cross-functional solutions are key. With new technologies implemented in CCTV that support our emergency services and our justice departments, the public purse will truly stretch much further.

A new generation of CCTV hardware now includes AI technology built into the design, enabling sound and object classification meaning cameras have the ability to identify weapons in addition to identifying anti-social and menacing behaviour leading to early intervention which is often crucial in these types of escalating situations.

The AI assisted technology speaks directly to control centres, sparking a response from the relevant emergency services, helping them to improve response times to serious incidents. Of course, AI is not a complete solution to violent crime, but it importantly provides data and insight allowing local authorities to work with emergency services to reduce crime whilst helping to make informed decisions about the future of communities.

A number of local authorities have been quick to adopt this new technology, including London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham who recently invested £8 million into tackling anti-social behaviour. This included working with North to implement a £6m programme to upgrade its CCTV network delivered over four years, which has already directly assisted in more than 500 arrests in one year.

Westminster City Council is another early adopter of new CCTV technology, having invested £1.2 million into its network which will feed into a state-of-the-art control centre managed by Hammersmith & Fulham.

By merging local authorities together for the purposes of crime prevention, authorities can create significant financial benefits from reduced staffing and overhead costs associated with control centres. Westminster City Council, for example, is saving more than £1 million per year by sharing a control centre with Hammersmith & Fulham.

The rise of anti-social behaviour spilling out on to the streets across the UK added further weight to the argument that we need to tighten our resolve in keeping our streets and therefore communities safe. And, it is prudent to understand that creating safe communities isn’t about Big Brother watching at the expense of your privacy being breached; it’s about creating safe streets using world-leading technology that serves to keep people safe.

By adopting smart technology that provides more than just linear image, but rather speaks to a bigger picture of criminal prevention and justice, we will see a marked improvement on public spending – but most importantly on public safety.