A glimmer of hope

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A glimmer of hope

Monday, 12 April 2021 | Abhishek Kumar

A glimmer of hope

Advanced AI-driven surveillance systems, when used efficiently, have the potential to bring safety back into society, says Abhishek Kumar

A secure city is arguably the sign of an attractive and prosperous place, where all residents and visitors live, work and travel in peace, knowing that they are safe. Though this concept seems dream-like, it is steadily evolving, thanks to the futuristic vision of some state-of-the-art surveillance players. These players are working towards creating real-time, dynamic and proactive AI-based video surveillance systems. It brings us closer to the dream of walking down the street feeling secure while being productive. There are a lot of ways that these systems can make a difference in our lives but the following are some major areas where surveillance systems can truly be a game-changer, especially in India.

Safety of residents

Until recent times, whenever we thought of security, our mind would go to a person standing guard at a police post or the entrance of a building. In this regard, it’s not impossible for human errors, omissions and negligence to seep in sometimes. This scenario leaves a chink in the armour, doesn’t it? We have faith in our compatriots, but being solely dependent on them can be unwise. We need technological interventions for their support. Hence, an automated surveillance system comes into play.

The right surveillance system can monitor visitors in a residential area so that there is a clear record of anyone entering and leaving. It can keep a sharp eye on people to ensure they’re safe, and it can also detect other major incidents like break-ins, thefts and violence. Such systems raise an alert with the security personnel in real-time, thereby leading to quick response.

To ensure personal liberty of undertrials

We are aware that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. So, in order to set a good precedent, we must begin with digitising our police stations and courthouses to the extent possible. The highly-publicised double murder of a father and son by police personnel at a Tuticorin police station highlights the need for these surveillance systems. NCRB data states that there were over 1,700 custodial deaths between 2001 and 2018. There were 452 custodial deaths between 2014 and 2018, in which no police officers were held responsible. Surveillance systems are everywhere across India and deploying them across our courthouses and police stations will bring greater confidence of people in our institutions. Also, ideally, the video footage should not be stored locally and will be streamed directly to the police headquarters so that tampering is averted.

Women security

Women’s security should be more than just a priority. Going back to a gut-wrenching incident back in 2017, where a 25-year-old woman at the Pune Infosys campus was raped and strangled to death in her office by a security guard — demonstrates the horrendous threat that women face daily. In this case, the culprit was caught but what about the others that get away with their crimes? Should we not prevent such dreadful incidences from repeating over and over again?

Bengaluru City has announced that it will be setting up 16,000 CCTV cameras for women’s safety but workplaces also need to follow suit. They need to step up security measures for women in the workplace so that they can follow their dreams without the constant fear looming over them.

Traffic management

Traffic monitoring and management have grown to a whole new level due to the latest surveillance technology. Commuters can now monitor the news to get the latest traffic reports before heading out to work. CCTV cameras have been installed on busy roads, atop traffic signals and at busy intersections. Cameras are used for monitoring traffic, recording the pattern data, overall observing traffic and to issue challans. However, this infrastructure is largely restricted to the metropolitan cities.

India has the highest accident mortality and theft rate. Deploying traffic cameras across smaller cities would urge drivers to exercise caution and discourage violations. Transport authorities can also use them to monitor vehicle flow in case of road closures or accidents. They do so by issuing automated tickets for moving violations by simply picking up the offender’s number plate information.

To stop terrorism

Sadly, India is no stranger to terrorism. There have been numerous attacks in our country in the past and we’ve recently honored the 12th anniversary of the infamous Mumbai attacks in 2008, where 171 people lost their lives and 239 were injured. These horrific instances have demonstrated to us the need for high-tech surveillance. With the latest technology, modern surveillance systems are equipped with features such as facial recognition. It can be linked to government and police records to identify known criminals and suspicious individuals. When installed at various junctures around cities, it could identify and inform authorities of a wanted individual or threat well in advance without stirring up mass panic.

After going through the aforementioned points, it becomes plain to see that surveillance is no longer a choice but a need in today’s world. So that our children could play safely outside, women could walk freely or sit in their office alone, and the only people approaching them are the ones who want to offer help. Advanced AI-driven surveillance systems give us a glimmer of hope. And when used efficiently, they have the potential to bring safety back into society.

(The writer is the regional director of Oncam.)

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