Staying ahead of surveillance

Technology has revolutionised crime detection in ways that are not only taken for granted, the benefits of which are for the most part not controversial.

From DNA testing of crime scenes to searching mobile phone and banking records, the ability of police to track the activities of alleged criminals and tie them to the key events of a crime have offered new layers of evidence used to gain convictions.

Closed circuit television (CCTV) has played a significant role in this. No one out in public can be truly confident that what they are doing is not being captured and recorded on video. While many of the cameras are privately owned, the images captured can be crucial.

No one wants to turn back the clock on using technology to catch criminals, but as new technology emerges, it’s critical that the Government ensures the systems are in place to cope with misuse of surveillance equipment.

Police are looking to improve surveillance with a network of CCTV cameras, capable of harnessing new facial recognition technology.

While little detail has been given about how the technology might be an improvement on what currently exists, police have described their current facial recognition technology as ‘‘outdated and limited’’.

According to police statements, photos from a network of cameras could be sent directly to police to be shown to witnesses.

Giving criminals fewer places to hide would be welcomed by police, but there is good reason for caution.

Virtually any technology which can be used to monitor criminals can be misused to monitor innocent people.

In general, New Zealand’s police force is exemplary in terms of a lack of corruption, but there are conspicuous examples of police misusing the resources at their disposal for nefarious reasons.

Less than a year ago, 34 year-old former Auckland policeman Jeremy Malifa was convicted for using police systems to gain personal information on women he was attracted to and approaching them.

It is not difficult to imagine the scope of facial recognition technology to help police track the movements of anyone.

Snooping may be an inevitable downside to technology and data gathering, which will continue to exist and improve over time.

Not harnessing that power may lead to criminals being able to escape detection.

But just as important is trying as much as possible to keep regulation and procedures around that technology up to speed with development, to at least minimise misuse to punish and shame those caught out. -Stuff