Covid fund bankrolling CCTV project

AUCKLAND: Covid19 research money is going towards enabling police to track people using CCTV more easily.

The $100,000 project by Auckland company Safer Cities is being funded by the Government’s $25 million pandemic research fund.

The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said it would build on existing ways of using video footage.

People and businesses often voluntarily provided police with their live or recorded video footage, the ministry said.

Officers generally had to access the footage in person, ‘‘putting people at risk’’ in the event of an outbreak.

‘‘This platform aims to provide a digital, contactless connection, enabling police investigations to continue to operate without compromising any social distancing rules in place under various alert level conditions,’’ the ministry said.

‘‘It is important to note that the platform only uses community uploads (voluntary optin) and does not give users the ability to download information without permission.’’

It was subject to privacy laws and other regulations.

In May, the police ordered a stocktake of surveillance technologies after controversy over their trialling of facial recognition software.

Extra CCTV cameras had been expected to be put on Auckland streets before the Apec Leaders’ Meeting next year.

However, that meeting has since been made into a virtual one because of travel disruption caused by Covid19.

The ministry lists about 40 projects worth $19 million approved so far under the Covid19 Innovation Acceleration Fund. — RNZ