Stalker cam: Hi-tech CCTV to detect public transport security risks
The ‘game-changing’ technology, which uses artificial intelligence to detect suspicious and threatening behaviour and stop a potential crime — like women being stalked on trains — before it happens, will be trialled at NSW public transport hubs.
NSW
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Hi-tech CCTV capable of detecting suspicious and threatening behaviour at train stations and stop a potential crime before it happens will be trialled to boost safety for women travelling on public transport at night.
The game changing technology, using artificial intelligence in cameras, is one of four new projects the state government will test over the next six months with NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance determined to “make life safer” for women.
“Nobody should be walking across a community feeling insecure — it’s unfair and an awful predicament for people to find themselves in,” Mr Constance said.
“I’m very excited about the very nature of artificial intelligence and trying to ensure that people can avoid circumstances and situations that aren’t of their making.
“We want all our customers to feel safe on the network and it is not good enough that nine out of 10 Australian women experience harassment on the street and modify their behaviour in response.
“If we can use technology to reduce those insecurities, then everyone’s quality of life is going to be so much better.”
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The new projects, chosen through the Safety After Dark Innovation Challenge, also includes using data to provide women with the safest routes to travel on and access to “24/7” emergency help on smartphones.
The artificial intelligence CCTV, developed by the University of Wollongong, will be trained to detect incidents such as agitated people and those following someone else.
Transport for NSW digital accelerator director Stephanie Salter said the system would then trigger an alert for a human operator to look at the vision and respond if necessary.
“Basically what it’s trying to do is detect threatening behaviour so they can actually map, through AI, how people stand and move,” Ms Salter said.
“It’s new technology so obviously we need to make sure that it works and we’ll be monitoring it really closely.
“We’ve got high expectations for this one because we think that this could have further implications and further usage across the network to actually understand what’s happening.”
The University of Wollongong will work with the Sydney Trains security team to apply the new technology to the existing CCTV system.
Across NSW, more than 12,000 cameras monitor trains with a further 30,000 on buses.
Yan Qian, who is working on the AI project, said she hates walking in the dark around public transport and her work could make an impact for women.
“It’s a vital issue for equality that we’re still facing in the 21st century which is not fair because every woman should have the right to just feel safe to move around,” she said.
The Innovation Challenge, part of Transport for NSW’s work with the Women’s Safety Charter, was launched after research conducted by Plan International in 2018 asked women to pinpoint Sydney locations where they felt unsafe with 20 per cent identifying public transport.
“We’re excited to be working with entrepreneurs and universities to implement innovative
technology solutions to keep women safe,” Mr Constance said.
“The winners were chosen for their potential to meaningfully address real safety issues,
and their ability to use creative and sophisticated new technologies to make a real difference.”
Originally published as Stalker cam: Hi-tech CCTV to detect public transport security risks