FACIAL RECOGNITION appears to be in the spotlight again as a growing number of States in America seek to ban police use of the technology due to public fears that it may lead to racial or gender bias. In truth, the technology offers greater accuracy than CCTV systems to help police officers quickly identify crime suspects and keep the public safe, as Adrian Timberlake explains in detail.

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The term ‘Artificial Intelligence’ in the professional security domain is controversial and views on it are polarised. Some hardware manufacturers dismiss it as a technology for the back office or deny its potential altogether. On the other hand, the cutting-edge developers are creating better and faster ways of helping humans to solve security risk problems using the maximum technology innovations. Pauline Norstrom offers some thought-provoking comment on this hugely topical subject

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Biometrics and facial recognition have played their part in the control of the Coronavirus and, because of this, the general public’s view of these new and incredibly powerful tools is changing both rapidly and for the better. Stuart Greenfield delves into the detail

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The value of video surveillance is unquestionable, but those professional deploying it must ensure this process is transacted correctly. Specifically, the deployment of surveillance tools should be Proportionate, Legal, Accountable, Necessary and Transparent. Kenny Long observes why the PLANT methodology is so important in today’s law enforcement spectrum

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A POWERFUL new general purpose Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has emerged from the computer science community. GPT 3.0 contains over 100 times more learning reference points than its predecessor, writes Pauline Norstrom, resulting in a quantum leap in capability.

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MANY BUSINESSES have been able to make the transition from on-site to remote working, but the time will come when the focus is back on the office environment. Alistair Enser outlines why security companies need to help their customers address the changes in their risk profiles and assist them to navigate the potential shift from cyber security threats to civil disturbance, for example, and from commercial theft to on-premises abuse or even violence.

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FOCUSING ON minimising the cyber security threat posed to today’s IP network cameras, Uri Guterman and Elaine Moran have produced a jargon-busting explanation of video surveillance cyber security terminology, at the same time issuing a timely reminder that combating the activities of hackers needs to remain a top priority for businesses.

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PARTICIPATING IN a mentoring relationship can be greatly beneficial for an individual’s professional development, whether that be as a mentor or mentee. There’s a good deal to be gained from having a trusted mentor at all stages of the professional journey. Equally so, mentors can also grow and learn through a mentoring relationship. Here, in this exclusive thought leadership article for Security Matters, Angela Vernon-Lawson examines her own mentoring journey involving The Security Institute.

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WHAT IF the CFO of a fire and security business was given the opportunity of turning a potential bad debt write-off into positive cashflow? Andrew Birkwood examines why, of late, businesses have been obliged to look in detail at their most important asset and understand the critical importance of cashflow.

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THE BRITISH Security Industry Association has been working tirelessly behind the scenes in a determined bid to underpin and embolden the private security industry in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, that work has involved lobbying Government in a bid to see security personnel recognised for what they are (and always have been): key workers. Mike Reddington offers a progress update.

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FABLIHA CHOWDHURY presents the key takeaways from a recent panel discussion in which representatives from Starbucks and Uber, as well as a former representative of Barclays, shared their personal take on embracing a cloud-first approach towards security and operations.

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URI GUTERMAN explains in some detail why he firmly believes that, by harnessing the power of deep learning video analytics, businesses and organisations of all types and sizes will have a powerful tool at their fingertips to help them remain one step ahead of would-be intruders.

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THE COVID-19 outbreak has dramatically altered the entire commercial landscape and changed the face of business as we know it due to action taken by the Government to contain the spread of the virus and safeguard individuals. Kevin Waterhouse examines how surveillance and analytics solutions can be used to nullify potential security issues in the retail space.

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BARELY ANY day goes by without Artificial Intelligence (AI) and video surveillance being front and centre in the public spotlight due to concerns about ethics and privacy. Even more so now given the rapid development of highly beneficial applications designed for safety in light of COVID-19. Pauline Norstrom explains why it has never been more important for stakeholders to remain properly informed about this ever-evolving set of technologies.

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MUCH HAS been written about the current increase in home working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While remote working simply isn't an option for many companies and their myriad employees, for others business is at least continuing even though it's not a case of 'business as usual'. Here, Mike Hurst examines the impact of home working on the security profession.

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THE RECENT theft of Van Gogh's Spring Garden painting (which dates back to 1884) from a Dutch museum in the town of Laren serves as a timely reminder that the robbery of such artefacts with a view to their subsequent trade on the black market remains a prolific form of criminality. Here, Peter Houlis outlines the various ways in which security management policy and today's security systems can assist in the protection of priceless works of art.

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OVER THE past month or so, it has become very clear indeed that the impact of a global pandemic was something most organisations and industries were unprepared to manage. That, of course, is the very nature of emergencies. They often catch us unaware and unsure of how to respond. As Marc Whalen points out, a safe organisation effectively resolves incidents, but the smart organisations avoid them.

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DESPITE THE rising prevalence of data breaches, awareness of the needs of tighter security when installing and using a video management system is yet to catch up. Complacency is the enemy, suggests Neil Killick, with even the most basic of security errors potentially placing such systems at risk.

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SECURITY TEAMS at UK universities are playing a key role in the battle against COVID-19, dealing with fast-changing risks on a daily basis and, in parallel, planning for strategic challenges in the longer term. Some heads of security are already focusing their attentions on the next big question facing their institutions: how they’ll recover and rebuild after the lockdown. Security Matters reports on current thinking.

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IN THESE extremely troubling times it has been truly inspirational to witness the efforts of organisations throughout the construction and security sectors in building the NHS Nightingale Hospital at London's ExCeL. As an integral part of this massive collaborative project, Wilson James has been using its extensive security and logistics expertise to help create a facility that will treat those seriously ill with Coronavirus. Security Matters reports.

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