Page 48 - Security Today, May 2018

Public Safety
Leading the Way
eeping citizens safe and secure tive data or shut down systems. Cybersecuri- are the fundamental responsi- ty technology has therefore been introduced bilities of government and public to strengthen our cities’ systems and protect services. With society facing new our data from hacking.
challenges, such as the changing nature of The best cyber protection takes a broad
By Peter Jones KTechnology is promoting a safer and more secure society
crime and pressure on police time, our cities are being forced to update their security re- sponses to ensure they remain safe. With the UN predicting that 70 percent of the global population will live in urban areas by 2050, those in charge of public safety and security in our growing smart cities are turning to spe- cialist technology to provide these solutions.
It is predicted that by 2025, public safety technology in smart cities will collate data from different sources into a single centralized control system. This system will then analyze information and distribute commands. Our smart cities will be made safer as a result.
Three technologies within this unified cen- ter are cybersecurity, video surveillance and digital policing. By easily and efficiently shar- ing information across devices, these technol- ogies will protect our data and our cities.
view, providing protection at the system, or- ganization and operational levels. Tech such as Hitachi Vantara’s advanced cybersecurity analytics covers these requirements. Vanta- ra’s solution allows users to act quickly to de- fend their property. The system detects and analyzes intrusions rapidly, in some cases cutting the time from months to days, thus preventing harm.
Watching Over Cities
As the dynamics of terrorism and criminal activity continue to become more sophisti- cated, and as our built environment contin- ues to change, intelligent AI security cameras will become an integral technology in pro- tecting our cities.
AI enabled video intelligence can detect more than 100 different personal attributes. These include height, approximate age, hair- style, clothes, bags and even the way people are moving—all without the input of a hu- man operator. The AI then takes these char- acteristics and turns them into a numerical description, or data profile, and stores them in a feature database that is shared between cameras. This solves the issue of a criminal suspect moving beyond the range of any single camera. This means that cameras are assisting in providing real-time updates and alerts to security services.
Smart video surveillance can also be trained to recognize and analyze situations and non-human targets to solve an issue like congestion on roads. By using AI machine learning technology, smart city surveillance cameras can monitor traffic flows, vehicles and even empty parking spaces. By sending commands to connected infrastructure, such as traffic lights, they can even prevent further safety issues.
Digital Policing
Police technology has also become more
sophisticated to help officers manage their time. Modern police forces are under pres- sure to be out on the front line, whilst also completing necessary administration back at the station. To combat these time constraints, technology is being deployed to better pre- pare and equip our police forces.
By having data-enabled smart tech on the ground, such as smart phones and bio- metric recognition, information is quickly transmitted back to the station, cutting down time spent on reporting. Eight police forces in the UK which have been testing the use of smart devices saw better produc- tivity, as officers were able to spend more time on the street rather than completing administrative tasks.
There has also been greater investment in connected technologies for officers on the beat, which includes smart body-worn video and drones. This technology allows for interactions to be recorded as they hap- pen. Officers can also receive real-time in- formation and instruction quickly from the control room. This means an officer arriving at an incident is armed with a wealth of in- formation on the person involved, the en- vironment they are entering and any previ- ously reported incidents. This in turn allows for quicker decision-making and increased officer safety.
While we still clearly need police officers’ knowledge and judgement, integrating smart tech will help them spend more time protect- ing us effectively.
LookingForward
To react to new concerns and threats, the au- thorities charged with our safety and security are looking to technology for assistance. From preventing low level disturbances to cyber- crime,smarttechisvital.Havingdemonstrat- ed its impact on our services already, tech- nology’s capabilities will continue to be built upon, making our lives easier and safer.
Peter Jones heads up the marketing function for Digital Solutions within the Information Systems Group of Hitachi Europe.
ProtectingourDigitalFootprint
Integrating the Internet of Things (IoT) into our social infrastructure, like energy networks, have significant benefits, such as connecting devices and sharing information. But, it also creates a heightened security risk. Hackers intent on causing harm to society now have more opportunity to access sensi-
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GOVERNMENT SECURITY MAY 2018
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