Is artificial intelligence an alternative to combat crime that continues to take to the streets?

Every day we see how crime takes the lives of more people in Peru. The citizen insecurity has become one of the main problems, but it could well find an answer with the artificial intelligence (AI).

The expectation is great. In June, the Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP) noted that 80% of its respondents said they felt unsafe in the face of an assault. Then, CPI indicated that 54.2% of Lima residents said they had been a victim of crime in 2023. In addition, security was the most anticipated topic in Dina Boluarte’s message to the Nation, according to the Ipsos survey.

READ ALSO: How are electric motorcycle taxis: they already circulate in our streets and there is one of Peruvian manufacture | VIDEO

which implies a greater use of firearms illegally, and in turn that impacts the perception of insecurity”, commented Ricardo Valdés, former Vice Minister of the Interior. In addition, he indicated that another feature is the growth of extortion to small merchants, either as a loan with abusive interest (“drop by drop”) or the collection of quotas (“chalequeo”).

Extortion through telephone calls, the collection of quotas or chalequeo, has become the new criminal form with the highest growth. (Reference photo: pexels.com)

And what can technology do about this problem?

Artificial intelligence is emerging as an alternative, and it is already being applied in several countries with image analysis, facial recognition, plate recognition, and infrared sensors; technology that, in the words of Fredy Ballón Medina, .

READ ALSO: Artificial superintelligence: what is it, what can it do and what makes it different from current AI?

“Security cameras alone are not going to prevent. They are no longer even deterrents. But cameras are a tool, not a solution in themselves. The solution is artificial intelligence applied correctly with trained personnel”commented the CEO of Portero Seguro, a company that uses AI for its private security service.

But this is not enough. There is much more to do, beyond the creation of new police forces.

change in cities

The growth of crime is linked to the urban space which, for Ricardo Valdés, means evaluating how the city is structured, the urban and architectural design to prevent them from becoming places where outbursts can occur, where this racket can occur.

“Artificial intelligence has a lot to do, and it can help a lot in urban design, in gathering information on points of interest for crime. indicated in dialogue with this newspaper.

This work, as detailed by the former vice minister, involves the use of information available to the Police and the serenity of local governments (municipalities) about the presence of certain criminal gangs, places where there is micro-marketing of drugs and street sexual exploitation. .

ALSO READ: Fears over artificial intelligence (AI) are reignited: can they steal my passwords by listening only to the keyboard?

In addition, AI could be used in places where there is a high concentration of people, in immigration control, in airports, shopping malls, for crowd control, to deal with gangs associated with soccer matches. There are many uses that can be given to it, but there is an important issue: money.

“You have to invest, and at this time in 2023, by August, the Ministry of the Interior, for example, has not invested, has not spent more than 15% of its budget”Valdés questioned because, as we have already seen, AI must also be complemented with other types of technology.

Artificial intelligence could analyze in real time the images from all the security cameras in a city to prevent a crime. (Photo: Andean)

apartment security

But the private sector also has proposals. With the use of AI, Portero Seguro has been providing protection in areas of San Isidro, Miraflores, San Borja, Surco and Surquillo, where security cameras are used to alert movements of possible criminals. And is that another problem is theft in apartments.

READ ALSO: Artificial intelligence: Meta would be working on a chat to talk with characters like Abraham Lincoln

“The service we provide is called Virtual Teleportería. What we do in residential buildings is to become the doorman of the building. We take care of security because we are going to be in charge of all the cameras. We monitor the entire perimeter and accesses”indicated Fredy Ballón about this modality.

And how does it work with artificial intelligence? According to the spokesperson for the private security company, Teleportería uses artificial intelligence that it applies to image analysis, detects if there is suspicious movement, emits a dissuasive message, a siren, and notifies human personnel for intervention. You can even close certain accesses.

However, he reiterated that trained and available personnel are needed. “No matter how much one realizes everything that is happening, and right on time, at the moment the Police is needed to be available, close to the place so that they can intervene, otherwise it is useless. So, citizen security is something quite complex, there are several elements that have to intervene”he reiterated.

protect rights

But just as AI has raised fears about possible job losses, there is also great doubt about the use of private information. In the first days of July, the government of Dina Boluarte enacted Law No. 31814, to promote the use of artificial intelligence. The interest in improving education, health, justice, citizen security, and digital security services, among others, is highlighted, and the Ministry of Government and Digital Transformation is appointed as the technical-regulatory authority in the development of this technology.

READ ALSO: This is what Tom Cruise or Rihanna would be like if they were ordinary people who earn minimum wage, according to an AI

However, for specialists there is still a lot to work on. “Actually there is no regulation, but there is a regulation that must be complied with, regardless of whether or not artificial intelligence is used. Because when we talk about recording images we cannot forget the data protection that protects people’s privacy”, explains the CEO of Portero Seguro.

Another important detail is who should handle all this information. Government? The private company? For Valdés, in terms of security work there must be an integrated system that is headed by the Ministry of the Interior, and the use can be limited in such a way that it serves to avoid infringing rights. “I think that there is a question of establishing the regulatory framework that allows the use of artificial intelligence, without neglecting the rights of individuals,” said.

There is still a lot to work on with this technology that is finding more and more spaces where it can be used.

Source: Elcomercio