back to article Croc country cops' mobile facial matching a festival party pop

Cops in crocodile-infested Northern Australia will use facial recognition matched to photos from CCTV and body-worn cameras to capture felons across the vast state. The law will identify potential criminals from its network of 190 CCTV cameras and those in use in the Northern Territory's ongoing trial of body-worn cameras …

  1. Winkypop Silver badge
    Alert

    Used to identify potential criminals?

    And I thought this story was about using the tech to recognise the remains of croc victims.

    Always read those No Swimming signs!

    1. Richard Taylor 2

      Re: Used to identify potential criminals?

      Doesn't really help if bodice plus ex user are inside the croc either.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    First test it on the criminals, then try it on the dissidents.

    Isn't Australia a Democracy?

    1. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

      Australia

      Stolen by European criminals from the previous owners. All else follows from that.

    2. NoneSuch Silver badge

      This is the state of things to come. Everyone scanned, indexed and surveilled while under continuous suspicion

      This is nothing; this is only the beginning. It's going to get much worse and by the time people speak up it will be too late to change. Once given power, governments do not surrender it.

      Democracy is only a word now, soon to be dropped from the dictionary from lack of use.

    3. earl grey
      Unhappy

      wasn't australia a democracy?

      there, fixed that for you.

  3. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

    In Other news...

    Sales of Bob Hawke, Ned Kelley, Mel Gibson, Nicolle Kidman, Kylie Minogue masks soar in Northern Austrailia.

  4. Khaptain Silver badge

    Carefull now

    If they take those damned cameras into parliament won't they have actually have a problem finding people who are not criminals...

    Side note : Start investing in your local Plastic surgery clinics as it would be logical to presume that the clever criminals will always stay one step in advance..

  5. CAPS LOCK

    More top-of-the-head than facial recognition

    Buy a toupe.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Black Helicopters

      Re: More top-of-the-head than facial recognition

      Everybody start wearing hats...

      Seriously, surveillance is getting out of control. Cameras everywhere for innocent purposes and pretty soon they're all tied into Skynet, tracking every little thing you do.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    "Some 100,000 images captured by Australian cops using body-worn cameras, CCTV, and drones have been loaded into the system"

    "A trial of the platform pinned 300 persons-of-interest lurking in the Top End earlier this year."

    So we can safely assume at least 99,000 images have been deleted from the system then?

    Thought not.

  7. Guus Leeuw

    hmmm.... title....

    Dear Sir,

    "Alzheimer's or other similar health issues to assist police in getting them the care they need"

    I thought the job of the police was/is to uhm how-do-you-say police! Not to put innocent poeple in lock up, which sounds like another phrase for giving them the care they need.

    Also, journo, you seem to be awefully fond of shortening words and sentences... I know it's the fashionable thing to do these days, but by God, language was defined for one purpose: make communication easier, not more difficult... and as a journalist, it seems to me, one should uphold such standards...

    Regards,

    Guus

  8. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    "greatly enhance intelligence and surveillance operations"

    That they will, not a shred of doubt about that.

    The only question that remains is : who decides what is a valid surveillance operation ?

    Whatever the answer today, what happens when a new government takes power and decides to abuse the system ? People die, that's what.

    Catching criminals is an essential endevour, but the potential for abuse - especially in the current state-sanctioned-universal-surveillance we currently live in - is enormous. Add to that we simply cannot trust politicians to not do it, and I think that this is, overall, a bad idea.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "greatly enhance intelligence and surveillance operations"

      There is an awful lot of pretty empty space in that part of Oz. The Plod must get rather bored with nowt to do but rescue a few stupid Pommie Tourists who get themselves half eaten by the croks or lock a few drinken locals to sober up.

      I see this as a new toy to play with. After a while it will get broken (or a cop killed bacause the crok grabbed the body camera and wouln't let go) and it will be put into a corner and forgotten.

      Anon just I case they let me into Oz in the future. wouldn't want to tempt fate eh?

      1. Khaptain Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: "greatly enhance intelligence and surveillance operations"

        If you are not already a criminal they won't let you in...

      2. Little Mouse
        Headmaster

        Re: "greatly enhance intelligence and surveillance operations"

        @Anon:

        "The Plod" - just "Plod", if you please.

        Plus the rest.....

  9. Mephistro
    Flame

    "Those included a looter of fishing gear and a trespasser on Charles Darwin University."

    Knowing the way police PR works, we must assume these two were the most dangerous criminals identified. Yep, a great victory for Law enforcement and security. Hooray!

    The part about helping people with Alzheimer's is just the icing on the cake.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Facial Recognition software is often easily fooled

    A little cotton in your cheeks, a hat, nose strips, colored contacts, makeup etc They all tend to fool most F.R. software.

    Since their baseline will be your existing "mugshot" (or Driver liscence/Passport photo) then do anything to modify that image the next time you must have a passport or liscence photo taken.

    The advantage is that if your baseline photo is the "modified" one, then you can walk around in public without the makeup/disguise and probably not get caught up.

  11. lukewarmdog

    potential criminals?

    "The law will identify potential criminals"

    surely "the law" should be identifying actual criminals

  12. Kiwi

    Could be worrying..

    Perhaps NT isn't so bad, but I do recall Queensland or NSW cops being a bit of a laughing stock for mistaken identity and fatal shootings some years back.

    Given how accurate FR software is (well, last time I read any stats which probably is quite a few years back), room for much pain, innocents arrested, and great hilarity all round.

    Though it could have its uses.. "You say you're Malcolm Turnbull? The computer says otherwise. We'll add identity theft to the list of charges. And as to those you claim are your 'protection detail', who just interfered with arresting officers..."

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