By Liam Mannix, Sherryn Groch and Jon Pierik
The company behind the new AI-powered weapons detection system at the MCG last year reached a legal settlement with US regulators, which alleged the company had made false claims about its ability to detect weapons.
The lawsuit followed an investigation that revealed the technology could not consistently detect knives and bombs.
On Friday morning, the AFL released a statement pinning blame for Thursday’s security breach on security staff, not the screening system – leading one security consultant to claim the league was throwing its security contractor “under the bus”.
Security inspect bags at the MCG ahead of the 2024 grand final.Credit: AAPIMAGE
Two men took loaded guns, hidden down their pants, into the Carlton-Collingwood blockbuster on Thursday night. The weapons were only revealed when police were called after one of the men began causing issues in the crowd.
In 2023, the MCG installed new AI-based security technology developed by US company Evolv to screen fans as they came through the gates; Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox claimed it “set a new standard for security, efficiency and convenience”.
The technology, known as Evolv Express, uses a combination of sensors and AI to detect concealed weapons, according to a press release by the company.
The system is supposed to be able to distinguish between a weapon and a set of keys or a wallet, and highlight the findings on a tablet for security staff.
Evolv promotes the technology as “designed to screen visitors effectively while helping minimise congestion and disruptions to traffic flow”, and says a dual-lane system can screen up to 4000 people an hour moving at walking pace.
But a 2022 investigation by the BBC revealed major questions about the technology’s effectiveness.
It quoted a report from a research company that found the technology failed to detect large knives 42 per cent of the time, and regularly failed to detect bombs and explosive components.
The technology was in use at a school in New York when a student brought in a concealed knife and stabbed another student. It was also rolled out in a New York City subway trial – but the scanners did not detect a single gun.
“So many product vendors are spruiking AI as the saviour of all things. And it’s clearly not,” said Luke Percy-Dove, security consultant and director of Matryx.
Last year, the US Federal Trade Commission took action against Evolv alleging it “deceptively advertised that its Evolv Express scanners would detect all weapons and made misleading claims that its use of artificial intelligence makes its screening systems more accurate, efficient, and cost-effective than traditional metal detectors”, according to a statement from the FTC.
AFL boss Andrew Dillon said on Friday that a review had “concluded that security personnel failed to do a thorough follow-up search of the patrons after an alert from the entry-point screening system”.
“So many product vendors are spruiking AI as the saviour of all things. And it’s clearly not.”
Luke Percy-Dove, security consultant
Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox said the scanners had “identified items of concern and further investigation was required”, but there was “a breakdown in the thoroughness of the secondary and manual screening process”.
“As a result, we will be increasing the extensiveness of the secondary manual security process and patrons may experience slight delays as they attend upcoming events.”
But a leading security consultant, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said the AFL and MCG were protecting the AI system and throwing its security staff under the bus.
Evolv’s problems were well-known, they said. “This was always bound to happen.”
The security breach occurred during Thursday night’s clash between the Pies and the Blues.Credit: Getty Images
“The other issues are the competency of the people overseeing it, the training, and the oversight.”
A patron who sets off alarms should be followed up multiple times by different staff, they said, to avoid a single point of failure.
“It alarmed, no one did anything about it, and so then what happened? Nothing.”
Balancing event security and safety with the need to get patrons inside is tricky. Airports go slowly to ensure high security, but events want to move quickly “because they want to get you on the beers, spending money. And it’s a bad look if there’s crowds”, said the consultant.
Events are often secured by several different security firms in a subcontractor model, all operating on a “low-margin, high-volume, high-risk” model, another security industry source said.
Security staff will typically work at multiple locations or events on the same day. And when a detector goes off, they often only have limited powers to search someone.
“They don’t have an awful lot of power to do searches. What’s the escalation? How far do you go? A lot of the security companies have a hands-off policy, often they are not even allowed to touch people,” said Percy-Dove.
Credit: Matt Golding
Patrons often claim a detection is the result of a metal belt buckle. Asking them to remove their belt for rescanning – as security staff do at the airport – would slow down entry.
“You have a look at these footy event areas, everyone has belts on. I can’t imagine how you can get 100,000 people through to the MCG and get everyone bagged and tagged before you go in,” said another industry source.
Evolv was contacted for comment.
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