IFSEC Presentations Revisited: CCTV for Safer Smarter Cities by DCI Mick Neville

In the past years there has been a tendency to rely too much on technology like CCTV cameras, overlooking the involvement of human resources to gather relevant information for the safe city process.

So said Mick Neville, detective chief and Head-Forensic at Metropolitan Police, in his IFSEC presentation about the role of CCTV for safer, smarter cities.

“Technology needs human intervention to elaborate information,” said Neville. “This is because machines need people to identify faces and to target criminals.

“There needs to be public confidence in police and CCTV because this process is not a game. Smarter installations are essential to capture two things – the crime and the face committing the offence. But it’s essential to make simple data extraction; otherwise there would be time wasted retrieving pictures.”

Thus, CCTV requires a systematic end-to-end and forensic approach which combine visual images – obtained by technology – with an identification and detection in the office.

Managing many images – millions of pictures every day – in smarter systems, is essential underline the role of the so-called ‘super recognisers’ – trained professionals who never forget a face.

“Last year a volunteer team of super recognisers helped us to identify criminals and to tackle serious crimes in a big city like London,” revealed Neville.

“In this way, we also saved a lot of money – almost £3 million, in fact.”

People power

Smarter identification processes and team-working brought additional benefits:

• A trebled identification rate
• 4 X 2 officer teams
• More super recognisers were recruited

Neville continued: “The challenge is to use stills, then moving images in the identification process. By mixing technology and human resources, it is possible to identify criminals in just four minutes”.

“We have to admit that in the past we got our approach wrong, considering technology to be the unique way to operate,” Neville said.

“The ‘safe city’ concept should be addressed in command, control, communications, computers and intelligence.

“We can’t forget that people – officer and super recognisers – are vital in such identification processes – and technology should be installed and used in a smarter way.

“Obviously, walking remains always the best detective system.,” he concluded.