Security firms are becoming more sophisticated in how they deter, monitor and apprehend individuals committing crimes, according to Laine Kidner, Chief Executive of consultancy Connected South Pacific. He also tells Business Advantage PNG that it’s important for businesses to understand why crime occurs in Papua New Guinea.

With the prospect of a second LNG project leading to a new phase of development in PNG, there will be a rapid expansion of the country’s security industry, predicts Kidner, CEO of IT specialist firm Connected South Pacific.

Companies will be looking for more sophisticated security measures than guards, gates and guns, he suggests.

‘We’ll see Artificial Intelligence (AI)—software that programs other software without human involvement—and behavioural analytics being used to predict likely events. We call this predictive security,’ he tells Business Advantage PNG.

Currently, firms use alarms, closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras and access control systems, like swipe cards, as methods of prevention, rather than a cure, explains Kidner.

But, as power supplies become more stable and connectivity expands, he sees AI and video analytics being used.

‘AI systems can be used for motion detection, facial recognition, licence plate recognition, people counting and monitoring how long individuals spend inside a retail store.’

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‘The old idea of a video surveillance system is of a security guard sitting, watching the security camera feed live, hoping to catch suspicious activity.

Video analytics

‘This relies on having a live person watching and reviewing all your video. But video analytics means using software to monitor a video feed 24/7 and raises the alarm only when something happens.

‘So it can be used for motion detection, facial recognition, licence plate recognition, people counting, and monitoring how long individuals spend inside a retail store,’ he says.

The companies that will use AI are those with a high chance of someone being injured onsite.

‘This applies to the resources, transport and utilities sectors, but also those with a duty of care to staff or clients—for example, the healthcare and education sectors.

‘We often advise newcomers to PNG to understand the underlying development issues facing this wonderful country and how to avoid being targeted.’

With AI systems, it is be possible to monitor anyone who walks into a hospital or school, see what they are doing on premises and when they leave.

Development issues

Connected South Pacific’s Laine Kidner. Credit: Connected PNG

Kidner advises companies to understand the reasons why their security issues arise.

‘We see similar security issues in developing nations globally and most of these issues stem from basic lack of human requirements such as food, water, electricity, education and healthcare.

‘We often advise newcomers to PNG to understand the underlying development issues facing this wonderful country and how to avoid being targeted.’

CCTV remains one of the most effective ways of ensuring security, Kinder believes.

‘Often the fear of being captured on a CCTV system is enough to deter an individual from committing a crime.

‘What we see though is often these systems aren’t maintained after the installation, aren’t designed to work with power outages, or require someone to be physically monitoring a screen.

‘This is where I see AI and video analytics coming to the fore.’