A Labour council will become the first to deploy AI-assisted CCTV cameras to spy on the public and spot ‘suspicious’ behaviour.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council, in west London, plans to modify 500 street cameras with AI that can automatically flag ‘aggressive’ behaviour or ‘suspicious shopping’ patterns.
But there are concerns innocent people going about their lives could be wrongly reported to the authorities.
It is feared that ‘hugs, back slaps and high fives’ might be mistaken for aggression, and shoppers shaking or rattling items, or holding clothes up to the light, could trigger an alert about a potential thief.
The AI will be capable of detecting knives and guns, automatically tracking suspects and vehicles across the borough, and identifying accidents, according to documents obtained by Big Brother Watch.
Professor Fraser Sampson, the government’s former surveillance camera commissioner, said that modifying old CCTV cameras with this new tech was a dangerous game.
He said: ‘Some actions may look like “aggression” but are the opposite – hugs, back slaps, high fives.
‘The ability to add a wide variety of things from vehicles to forensics later is the very definition of mission creep and something that people are highly suspicious of, particularly when the tech is being used for law enforcement purposes.’
Existing CCTV cameras in Hammersmith and Fulham will be modified with AI technology that will be able to automatically identify ‘suspicious’ behaviour
The council is also investing £1million in CCTV for its parks after a rise in crime. Pictured: White City Place in Hammersmith and Fulham
The AI-enabled cameras are part of a wider rollout across Hammersmith and Fulham of new anti-crime technology.
There will also be 20 live facial recognition cameras installed at ten crime hotspots in the area, which will be able to cross-reference with police databases in real time.
Loudspeakers will be attached to 50 existing cameras so officers can blare out messages to ‘warn and inform’ the public, while 50 others will be equipped with spotlights to illuminate murky corners.
Jake Hurfurt, head of research and investigations at Big Brother Watch, said: ‘Everybody wants less anti-social behaviour but reaching for invasive and often unproven AI-powered surveillance reminiscent of a sci-fi film or authoritarian regimes is not the answer.’
The council says all this souped-up surveillance will make the streets safer by alerting officers more quickly to crime and anti-social behaviour, and allowing suspects to be automatically tracked.
It is investing £3.2million in AI and new surveillance technology to expand its current network of 2,500 cameras.
The AI’s priority will be the ‘most likely needed’ capabilities, which are detecting weapons and identifying violence.
A million-pound investment has also been earmarked for CCTV cameras in the borough’s parks, to counter an increase in assaults and anti-social behaviour.
Stephen Cowan, the council leader, said: ‘This investment is about giving families peace of mind, helping victims see justice done, and ensuring criminals know there’s nowhere to hide in H&F.
‘When residents see the results of justice being served is when the investment truly pays off.’
