AI and robotics complement and enhance the techniques traditionally adopted in crime prevention, criminal justice, as well as law enforcement and national security.

On 21 March 2019 United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute’s (UNICRI), Centre for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, and Innovation Centre of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), published the “Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Law Enforcement” report. The document is based on the first INTERPOL – UNICRI Global Meeting on the Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Law Enforcement held in Singapore on 11-12 July 2018. The report analyses:

  • the contribution AI and robotics can make in policing and examines;
  • use cases at varying stages of development by national law enforcement agencies;
  • the use of AI and robotics as present reality;
  • new threats and crimes related to the malicious use of AI and robotics, including new types of digital, physical, and political attacks, that law enforcement must be prepared to tackle;
  • keeping pace with innovation;
  • gaps in technical expertise and
  • the fundamental importance of ensuring consistency with human rights, fairness, accountability, transparency and explainability in any use of these technologies by law enforcement.

The report concludes with a series of recommendations for the future use of AI and robotics in law enforcement, as well as specific suggestions for police chiefs.

SAFE is actively engaged in the definition and implementation of projects fostering the use of artificial intelligence and robotics in the context of security, as well as social development. In particular, in the last month SAFE submitted the following two project proposals related to the sector:

Secure Measures and Actions to ReacT and Maintain Aegis in Public Spaces (SMARTMAPS), aims to improve the security and safety of European Smart Cities, particularly in their public spaces, through the adoption of a modular prototype consisting in a standardized, artificial-intelligence-based, data consolidation and analysis tool, paired by innovative use of airborne IoTs as non-intrusive and complementary data collection and validation instruments. Smart cities of Madrid, Nice and Turin are involved as end users and will steer the development of technlogy solutions tailored to their needs, in cooperation with other 12 technical and industrial partners including SAFE (Coordinator) and other institutions from Spain, Italy, France, Belgium and Portugal. The EUROMED Cities Network will actively engage its members in project activities for further dissemination, consisting of 150 cities across 27 countries members. The project is proposed for funding under the H2020 programme, for a total value of 7 million €. The selection process is expected to be completed in maximum 5 months from the deadline for submission.

In a different area of intervention at local level, Officine D’INnOvazione (ODINO), in partnership with University of Verona’s Industrial Computer Engineering (ICE) Laboratory and Wine Factory, will give the opportunity to young people residing in Verona to access to excellence training courses regarding robotics and self entrepreneurship. The aim is to provide the young generation with technological expertise to successfully face the job challenges of their professional development in industry 4.0. To this end, ODINO will set-up in Verona one “Innovation Workshop” – a 4.0 robotized manifacturing line for training purposes. As Verona province hosts a thriving wine industry, based on traditional means and way of production, ODINO aims also to complement tradition with technological advancements, through the creation of a second “Innovation Workshop” – another permanent training facility on 4.0 wine industry located in the village of Soave, famous for its fine white wine production.

More informations on Global Meeting on Artificial Intelligence for Law
Enforcement here [1].

More information on the EUROMED Cities Network here [2].

More informations on the launch of the Industrial Computer Engineering
(ICE) Laboratory here [3].


Links:
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[1]http://www.unicri.it/news/article/AI_UNICRI_INTERPOL_Law_Enforcement
[2]http://www.reseau-euromed.org/en/
[3]https://www.confindustria.vr.it/confindustria/verona/organizer.nsf/attach/B2B6E2B007D5DAE8C12583D7003352E4/$File/workshop%20humanufacturing%20-%20fummi_DI-Comau_lab_ICE_190509.pdf?OpenElement