[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6648\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ECameras with inbuilt detective skills to catch rural criminals\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENature documentaries have long utilised camera traps to film elusive animals in the dead of night. When a nocturnal creature passes by its motion-sensitive sensor, the camera is triggered into action and captures images a filmmaker could only dream of.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd it turns out that this approach could be used in areas where criminal activity is suspected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA new crime-fighting camera has been developed which scans a scene and differentiates what it sees. If its sensor spots something suspicious, it wakes up the camera and a platoon of algorithms kicks into action to process what\u2019s happening. Screenshots and video are then sent to local police stations who can take the investigation further.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe miniaturised cameras are being developed by the EU-funded FORENSOR project. They can survive on one-tenth of the power of a normal surveillance camera and are easily concealable, meaning they can operate cheaply in isolated areas with little infrastructure.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We don\u2019t have a lot of surveillance equipment that is low powered and which you can leave in one place for a long time to record images,\u2019 explained Lazaros Gymnopoulos, visual computing researcher at the Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH), in Greece, and security officer for the FORENSOR project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018The police officer will judge if what is detected is of interest or not.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Nicholas Vretos, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas, Greece\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018And crimes can happen where we don\u2019t have the infrastructure to support surveillance systems like you would have in big cities.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPortuguese police are interested in using it for remote coastal areas in Lisbon, where small motor boats loaded with drugs may approach isolated beaches with all lights turned off. The new cameras would stay in low-power mode when faced with waves or trees swaying but would kick into action as a potential criminal scenario plays out.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA second scenario to be tested is in a national park in Valencia, Spain. Here the camera can identify vehicles driven by someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Similarly, police in Chiusi\u0026nbsp;in Italy are hoping to deploy the cameras so they can alert them if someone is climbing a fence, entering houses through a window or driving around a neighbourhood suspiciously.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Nicholas Vretos, computer scientist at CERTH, and quality manager at FORENSOR, said: \u2018The police officer will judge if what is detected is of interest or not.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA crucial part of FORENSOR is to ensure that the evidence gathered by the cameras is allowed in court, which means ensuring that nobody sees the footage who should not and protocols are followed to ensure the footage is correctly documented to support an investigation. The drones will also integrate privacy into its design so that it only records activity at certain times when criminal activity is suspected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There is even a standard way for a camera to handle the information in order for this information to be admissible in court,\u2019 said Dr Vretos.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy the end of the project, FORENSOR aims to have a prototype that they can promote amongst police forces in Europe.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003EAlready, the Greek navy has expressed an interest in the surveillance equipment, as such smart devices could better monitor remote, uninhabited islands and alert authorities to the activities of people smugglers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECrime-fighting tools\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMotion sensitive cameras will help catch drug and people traffickers, but criminals, or terrorists, will always find creative ways to conceal illegal substances.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe EU-funded NOSY project is developing a smartphone-sized scanner that law enforcement agents can hold in their hand. The smart materials inside will alert them to the presence of particles and sticky molecules from either explosives or drugs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother option is something called a sniffer, which is a smaller device that could be concealed in an area of interest or placed in a device, such as a walkie-talkie. It too will be capable of alerting police officers if someone passes by with a bag containing suspicious items.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo further boost the capabilities of the good guys, NOSY is developing a smart cable that could be strung along entrances or walls of tube stations, airports or malls. Crucially, the unseen cables would be dotted with smart but inexpensive button-sized sensors, designed to alert security services to tell-tale chemicals from explosives or illegal drugs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDaniele Fattibene, a security and defence researcher at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)\u0026nbsp;in Italy, said: \u2018The cable could reach a length of a few hundred metres and can be deployed in all sorts of public spaces or close to security checkpoints. It will be concealable.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/newsalertsignup\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/news-alert-final.jpg\u0022 width=\u0022983\u0022 height=\u0022222\u0022 \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll three devices will be miniaturised so they have low impact in terms of size, but high impact in detection.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The strategy is to create small, effective and user-friendly materials and devices,\u2019 said Fattibene, who is also involved in the dissemination of the NOSY project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce an alert goes off, information will be sent securely to a monitoring station and communicated to law enforcement. A crucial part of the project is to ensure that this information is secure, even if items are stolen, and also that evidence gathered can be used in court.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We have experts who are creating a certification process which will enable NOSY devices to be used as proof during court proceedings,\u2019 Fattibene said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEthical and legal experts are also looking at all parts of the project to ensure citizens\u2019 rights and privacy underpin developments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EThe Issue\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EPreventing crime is an endless battle between law enforcement agencies and criminal organisations, with each group trying to use the latest technology to stay ahead of the other.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003EBut police\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003Ehave the advantage of researchers and scientists around Europe developing the latest crime-fighting science.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022 lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EWithin its\u0026nbsp;2016-17\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/programme\/rcn\/664463_en.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003Eresearch fund\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022 lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;the EU supports a range of innovations to reduce crime rates, from long distance radars to better alert systems;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/europa.eu\/rapid\/press-release_IP-15-5831_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EEUR 8 million\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022 lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;has been allocated to prevent human trafficking and smuggling as well as a further\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/europa.eu\/rapid\/press-release_IP-15-5831_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003EEUR 27 million\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022 lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;for new technologies to help prevent crime and terrorism.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022 lang=\u0022EN-US\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-okgq4g1rnekaondwgpuk6knyxubk-f2zdgesuendrno\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-okgq4G1RnEKaONdwGpUK6KNYxUBk_f2zDgEsuEndrNo\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]