Waverley Council reveals plans to install ‘smart’ CCTV cameras in bid to detect anti-social behaviour, including anti-Semitism

High-tech CCTV cameras, which purport to be able to automatically detect anti-social behaviour, could be rolled out across Sydney’s east in an attempt to combat a spate of anti-Semitic incidents.

High-tech CCTV cameras, which purport to be able to automatically detect anti-social behaviour, could be rolled out across Sydney’s eastern suburbs in an attempt to combat a spate of anti-Semitic incidents in the region.

Recent acts of anti-Semitism, including the torching of a car and the scrawling of graffiti across bus stops and other public infrastructure, have prompted plans for 42 new CCTV cameras to be positioned at bus shelters in the Waverley Council area.

Waverley Council said the rollout of cameras formed part of a broader plan to deter anti-Semitic activity, as well as boosting the ability of NSW Police to gain access to live-streaming video evidence.

The council is also investigating using advanced CCTV cameras that purport to be able to automatically detect anti-social behaviour and send alerts to police.

According to the council, the “smart technology” has been tested to determine when humans should be alerted and how.

A photo of Anti-Israel graffiti sprawled on a car in Woollahra last month..

The council has already begun a trial of the technology at the Bondi Pavilion Art Gallery to detect when a visitor is too close to a piece of art.

Once this sort of thing is detected, the software is then able to alert council officers, who then can review live footage if required, via a push notification to their mobile phone.

A photo of graffiti sprayed in Bondi

But when asked to elaborate on how the technology would be able to detect anti-social behaviour, such as the spraying of graffiti, the council provided a statement from the mayor that did not address the question.

The mayor, Will Nemesh, said the council was committed to combating acts of aggression and intimidation.

He described incidents like the overnight anti-Semitic attacks in Woollahra as “brazen” and “disturbing”.

“The prevalence, frequency and the brazen display of anti-Semitism we are now witnessing in our local community is alarming and demands strong leadership to address it,” he said.

Graffiti has been sprawled on bus stops in Sydney’s east, where new cameras are set to be installed.

“These acts of anti-Semitism have no place in society and council is continuing to work closely with police to ensure community safety.”

The crackdown follows NSW Police statistics revealing an alarming increase in anti-Semitic incidents recorded in NSW over the last three years, rising from 92 in 2022 to 130 in 2023 and 425 so far this year.

A police taskforce has been established to specifically target anti-Semitic behaviour and incidents.

In Sydney’s eastern suburbs – which is home to one of the state’s largest populations of Jewish residents – incidents of anti-Semitism in recent weeks have included more than 200 bus stops, shops, bins, signs and other infrastructure being targeted in graffiti attacks.

Last month, two assailants were also seen defacing almost a dozen cars and homes in Waverley with messages that read “f--k Israel”.

A Waverley Council report states the council has already allocated an initial investment of $143,000 to expand the CCTV network in the region

Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory said “the responsibility to preserve social cohesion in this country should not be falling on the shoulders of local government”.

“It is a sad indictment on our society that this level of security is needed to protect the Jewish community in 2024,” he said.

“We hope these measures are adequate to deter some of the ugly anti-Semitic attacks we have seen, but we really need to see leadership from the federal government.”