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August 26, 2007
Re-thinking Crime Prevention with UAVs
Ok, I've been wanting to write this for a while now, but Table Mountain is under siege from mindless thugs yet again.
Of course I have strong views on this, such as reframing any crime that impacts tourism and other GDP-growth activities as treason. Mess with our GDP, you're messing with our country's national security as a emerging economy.
But to get practical again. The powers-that-be say they don't have enough resources to police the vast area.
So let's use technology to create a force multiplier. I'm talking about using UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) to help cover loads of ground, see thermally, and guide police on the ground to the hotspots. Pretty soon those thugs will have nowhere to hide. Of course that means they'll move onto somewhere else, but we can deal with that another time.
Using UAVs are way cheaper than using helicopters, much quieter, and a lot more effective.
Just a thought...
Links:
Interview with an SAAF officer about the role of their Seeker UAVs with SAPS in crime prevention.
Kentron UAV Systems has established the Umfuni concept ... When deployed in the joint operations/crime prevention role, Seeker II can be established as a permanent system, providing coverage of a large area or interlinked by means of mobile reception units (MRU), to provide national area coverage. Seeker can also be transferred to selected hotspots in high crime areas or to anticipated trouble areas.
Posted by sdehaast at August 26, 2007 8:11 PM Posted to cape town