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View all search resultsMalaysia mulls facial recognition CCTVs
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Riot police protect the entrance to Chinatown from "Red Shirt" demonstrators during a pro-government demonstration in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sept. 16, 2015. (AP/Osman Hassan)
T
he Government wants to install facial recognition CCTV cameras that can capture images of suspected snatch thieves to be cross-checked with the police's data base.
Snatch theft cases saw a 50% rise in the first four months of this year compared to the same period in 2015.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the existing cameras installed at strategic street locations had not been effective to stop snatch thefts as they only provided visual capabilities.
"We are looking at installing cameras at hotspots that allow for facial recognition.
"This will allow us to develop a database of the people going into and out of an area which can then be cross referenced with the police," he told reporters at Parliament lobby.
Nur Jazlan said the existing cameras under the local councils could be upgraded with facial recognition software program.
"At present, CCTV cameras come under the jurisdiction of the local council authorities.
"The proposal will see the cameras integrated with enforcement agencies such as the police," he added.
Nur Jazlan said the increase in street crimes such as snatch thefts could be due to the current economic climate.
Based on police statistics, a total of 1,031 snatch theft cases were reported for the first four months of this year compared to 742 cases for the same period last year.
Earlier, when answering a question by Fong Kui Lun (DAP-Bukit Bintang), Nur Jazlan told lawmakers that the proposal has yet to be implemented due to budget constraints.
