Facial recognition deployed by police forces in KwaZulu-Netal
Information Certainty: Documented
Deployment Purpose: Surveillance
| Summary |
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| A festive crime prevention trial is underway in KwaZulu-Netal province, of which the largest city is Durban, and the capital is Pietermaritzburg. The municipality of eThekwini is also a part of these efforts.The trial includes the rollout of facial recognition to camera networks, including drones, dash cams and body worn police cameras. Number plate recognition will also be in use. New cameras will be installed with facial recognition and other 'crime prevention' tools. Since 2019, Durban Metropolitan Police have used predictive policing analytics from Microsoft and Toyota, however it is unclear whether facial recognition was used. In partnership with Microsoft and Toyota, the Durban basin will be secured with a CCTV network. The people working in the area |
Products and Institutions:
| Product Deployed | Unknown Products 0108 |
|---|---|
| Institutions ⠉ | |
| Datasets | Unknown Dataset 0171 |
| Search software |
Status and Events:
| Status | Ongoing |
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| Events | Start (2 December 2022, Documented, , Trial period begins) |
| Start Date | |
| End Date |
Users:
| Involved Entities | Microsoft Corporation Toyota |
|---|---|
| Managed by | South African Police Service |
| Used by | Durban Metropolitan Police |
Location:
| City | Durban Pietermaritzburg |
|---|---|
| Country ⠉ | South Africa South Africa |
Description[ ]
In the province of KwaZulu-Natal and the municipality of eThekwini, of which the capital city is Durban, facial recognition will be rolled out by police forces. It will begin in a trial during the festive period (December 2022) with some elements becoming permanent in 2023. In Durban, a camera hub with facial recognition will be developed.
An official speech reported by the South African government outlines the following about the trial period:
During this period, Premier Dube-Ncube said police will also be applying technology including drones to monitor high crime zones and capturing footage of criminal activities. “Technology will be employed to chase criminals using facial recognition and follow me flight mode. We can even enter into small unreachable areas to track criminals in hide outs. We will also be applying technology to track number plates and spot stolen vehicles. Our Smart Province concept also include smart policing. Technology overall can reduce the crime rate, improve investigation and assist in locking up offenders. It can also be used as early warning signal to prevent the deaths in disasters and properly loss,” said Premier Dube-Ncube 1
Since 2019, police in Durban have used predictive policing analytics in collaboration with Microsoft and Toyota.
Microsoft partnered with Metro Police in eThekwini to deter criminal activities based on data analysis:"Through the use of Dashboard Cameras in Patrol Cars, Automatic Number Plate Recognition and other cameras, Metro Police will be able to take actions to deter criminal activities based on data analysis through predictive modelling and machine learning algorithms”. Metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad explained that Microsoft’s smart 21st-century policing technologies would be introduced to the inner city zone of Durban. “There is a project area which we have identified. Within the project area, smart policing using Microsoft technologies will be introduced.” 2
Deputy commissioner and head of operations at eThekwini metro police Sbonelo Mchunu is interviewed and states that the plans will include body worn cameras for police in eThekwini. The trial phase will be the festive period and then it will extend into 2023.
A pilot project of the four-phase anticrime strategy will kick off in four critical tourist wards in time for the festive season in December. It involves a partnership with the eThekwini municipality, Microsoft and Toyota. “Our objective is to ensure that criminals are stopped in their tracks well before they commit the crime. We want to make it difficult for criminals and we want to ensure successful prosecutions,” Mchunu said. Mchunu said the first phase of the project involves the establishment of a command centre — a Modus Operandi Information and Analysis hub — to develop crime trends and counteract criminal activities. The second phase involves the installation of intelligent cameras with integrated crime-combating features, including facial recognition, which will be relayed to the hub 3
He said phase three involves a partnership with Toyota in the South Durban Basin. “Here we will demarcate the area with closed-circuit [television] cameras [CCTVs] at a designated command centre. The data of all employees in the basin, many of whom live and work in the area, will be officially captured so that the system will trigger if there are strangers or unknown individuals, [allowing] police to be dispatched to inspect the vehicles and identify the persons,” he added 3