Hong Kong police to add AI facial recognition to CCTV system this month
Hong Kong police will add AI facial recognition to its 'Sharp Eye' CCTV system this month. Officials say the technology has already helped locate a missing elderly man and arrest a robbery suspect, with 60,000 cameras expected to be equipped by 2028.
Hong Kong police will add artificial intelligence facial recognition to their 'Sharp Eye' CCTV system this month, with all 60,000 cameras across the city expected to be equipped with the function by 2028. Senior officers said the technology would not be used simultaneously on every camera due to computing power constraints.
Police said tests of the facial recognition function have already proven successful. In one case, officers located an 80-year-old man with dementia within about 90 minutes of receiving a report. In another instance, the system identified a robbery suspect's facial features and detected his movements after the crime, leading to an arrest.
Senior Superintendent Leung Ming-leung of the Force Operations Department described the introduction of facial recognition as equivalent to having additional officers working around the clock to monitor CCTV feeds for missing persons and suspicious individuals. He said the technology would speed up investigations and reduce the need for officers to manually review large amounts of footage, allowing more personnel to be deployed to other duties.
Leung said the facial recognition technology is accurate and a mature, reliable investigative tool already used by law enforcement agencies in mainland China and overseas. To protect personal data and privacy, the system requires authorisation before use, with applications made by specially trained personnel and approved by officers of inspector rank or above. After use, a review will be conducted.
As of the end of last month, the Sharp Eye programme had helped solve 2,192 criminal cases. Leung said that due to cost and legal requirements, images will not be stored for more than 31 days, while facial recognition data will be retained for no longer than 180 days.