CCTVs and surveillance systems were first introduced as a tool for crime deterrence and public safety monitoring. Initially, these systems served a limited role — primarily offering passive surveillance in public areas such as streets, transportation hubs, and government buildings. In the past, it operated on a passive monitoring model, requiring security personnel to be planted before the monitors round the clock, manually waiting for an incident to unfold.
Investigations were time-consuming, as law enforcement officers had to comb through hours and hours of video to identify key moments. However, all that has changed, all thanks to advances in AI and video analytics. Here’s a look at how AI has transformed the capabilities of CCTVs, and how it enhances public safety.
From raw footage to actionable intelligence
With advanced features such as automated object recognition, face recognition, and behaviour pattern detection, video analytics enables security teams to work faster with higher accuracy than ever before. When analysing people or objects, the systems can distinguish between a man, a woman and a child, a masked person and different types of vehicles.
Another salient benefit is its ability to accelerate video investigations. Manual reviews can now be accomplished in minutes, thanks to intelligent search and filtering capabilities. Investigators can quickly identify relevant footage and respond more effectively.
Facial recognition plays a crucial role in this process by accurately pinpointing people of interest. Whether using digital images extracted from existing footage or provided by external sources, the system can match faces rapidly across large volumes of video data.
Video analytics solutions also unlock real-time alerts for critical events such as intrusions, loitering, or violent behaviour. This allows security teams to intervene immediately.
Increased Situational Awareness
Modern video content analytics transform security personnel from reactive observers to proactive decision-makers. These capabilities enable teams to anticipate and mitigate potential threats before they escalate, significantly improving overall safety and response times.
Through features such as heatmaps and people counting, personnel can quickly assess crowd dynamics in real time without the need to constantly monitor live CCTV feeds. This allows for smarter resource deployment in high-traffic environments such as stadiums, concert venues, shopping malls, and transport hubs — especially during peak hours or large-scale events.
Furthermore, video analytics tools allow for a more holistic investigative approach. Security teams can investigate with greater efficiency and precision by visualising the geographic locations of source cameras and video footage on a map. Use camera coordinates to search for specific addresses, quickly add relevant cameras to an active case, and track persons or vehicles of interest across multiple sites —all from a centralised interface.
Investigations are further supported by intelligent video search functions. Leveraging camera GPS coordinates and advanced filtering tools, personnel can rapidly search across multiple camera feeds to locate persons or vehicles of interest. These searches can be refined with evolving filters such as clothing color, vehicle type, direction of travel, and time of appearance—greatly accelerating case resolution.
Automated Vehicle Identification with License Plate Recognition
License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology plays a critical role in strengthening public safety by enabling real-time monitoring and identification of vehicles across cities and communities. When integrated with surveillance infrastructure, LPR automatically detects and reads licence plates from video feeds, allowing law enforcement and public safety officials to quickly identify vehicles of interest, such as those reported stolen, linked to criminal activity, or flagged in active investigations.
By tracking vehicle movements, LPR helps create a detailed picture of traffic patterns, identifying unusual behaviours such as loitering vehicles and repeated entries. This information enhances situational awareness and supports more informed responses during emergencies, amber alerts, or high-priority incidents.
LPR data can also be leveraged for post-incident investigations. Officials can review historical vehicle activity across multiple locations to trace suspects’ movements, establish timelines, and corroborate witness accounts.
Keen on using AI to ramp up your surveillance efforts? Get in touch with a Canon specialist to explore the right solution for your security needs.
Take The Steps Forward
Let's work together and uncover digital opportunities starting today.
