Bermuda adds live facial recognition to CCTV network

Bermuda is planning a $4 million project to upgrade its CCTV network, equipping it with facial and license-plate recognition algorithms.

The country is planning to install 265 cameras within the next six months as part of the project’s first phase. The second phase will include integrating the real-time recognition software, which the government says will fight serious crime as well as catch jaywalkers and speeders, The Royal Gazette reported last week. No timeline has been given for the second phase.

The Caribbean island published a tender July 2022 for replacing the 150 CCTV cameras mounted today, half of which are inoperable. Michael Weeks, the minister of national security, announced in February that the project was awarded to an unnamed local company.

Ten other local firms and two foreign companies, all unnamed, also bid, according to The Gazette.

The new network will run on Digicel fiber and LTE networks. Digicel has been in biometrics at least since 2012, when it worked on what it billed as the world’s first fingerprint ID service for international money transfers in New Zealand.

Aside from face and license-plate recognition, the camera will include pan/tilt/zoom control, multisensory and varifocal capabilities. The deal was announced earlier this month. Digicel will be paid $1 million for the equipment and installation and an additional $602,388 annually for a five-year maintenance service.

Weeks told The Gazette that the system will be “vendor agnostic.”

The Ministry of National Security has promised to enact policies to protect the public’s privacy. In March, the privacy commissioner published a best-practice guide for organizations using closed-circuit TV security cameras based on the Personal Information Protection Act 2016.

Article Topics

Bermuda  |  biometric identification  |  cctv  |  facial recognition  |  real-time biometrics  |  video surveillance