Prosegur Hawk-Eye gets smarter and more interactive

The new service has not changed in essence, but it "represents a leap in capability thanks to the fact that it combines artificial intelligence and human intelligence, says Sebastián Slelatt, SMB Global Director at Prosegur Alarms. It has evolved towards the system of proactive manned guarding posts, i.e., it deploys different systems, all consisting of smart cameras, strobe lights, siren and loudspeaker.

This means that the security guard can now interact from each manned guarding post, for example, with a person who goes down the garage ramp to check if it is a neighbour or someone else who should not be there. The customer can opt for the complete installation, including the totem to take advantage of its additional deterrent effect, or do without it and have the same manned guarding service at a lower cost.

Another critical difference: it is bolstered with IA software for video analysis, anomaly identification algorithms that differentiate people from other elements — an animal, a moving branch… — and a layer of machine learning to deduce behaviour patterns. For example, you know that from 10 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon on weekdays, people gather in a perimeter area adjoining a municipal office. But that same presence on a Saturday morning is suspicious and automatically projects the image on the security guard's monitor. "This person/machine combination ensures a 99% success rate in recognising anomalies, if not 100%" says Recarte.

We are not only talking about prevention, deterrence and intervention in real time, but also about regulatory compliance. Hardly anyone knows this, but in countries with data protection laws like Spain it is illegal for caretakers to monitor surveillance cameras. If something happens, the owners can be sanctioned and cautioned. The service is also useful in trials or police investigations because it keeps recordings of the events in the cloud.

It is called Prosegur Hawk-Eye and combines the advantages of remote physical and digital manned guarding to protect both the residential sector and industrial facilities. It leads the way in Spain and Prosegur has just launched a new enhanced version with unprecedented technological capabilities. But let's start by understanding how it worked before the redesign:

1. A team of security guards remotely monitors the cameras positioned along the perimeter and at the entrances. But it boasts a unique feature: a totem - a two-metre metal structure installed at the entrance of the building - with a screen where the real image of the guards operating from the control centre is projected.

2. The totem also incorporates a microphone and a speaker so that the security guards intervene directly and engage in two-way communication with the people in the environment. For example, they can question someone who has slipped through the gate. Or respond to an owner who is asking for help because he has had an accident.

3. When they detect a serious danger such as an attempt to force a door or scale a perimeter fence, they activate a powerful siren and the strobe lights installed on the totem, and also immediately notify an Acuda Prosegur team (motorised security guards who arrive on the scene in a matter of minutes), the Police or an emergency service, depending on the protocol for each incident.  

4. The security guards are trained in this speciality, see what the eye does not normally see and rotate in shifts. "They are completely focused on safety, without distractions or feeling any obligation to chat with a neighbour. We are manned guarding professionals, we are not caretakers nor do we do janitorial work, and the totem engenders respect, it has a proven dissuasive effect", explains Alberto Recarte, who is responsible for the service's Value Proposition.

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According to Slelatt, "it can change the security paradigm thanks to the ability of AI to constantly learn from new environments." For example, in the protection of industrial equipment assets that require a complex network of manned guarding posts capable of holistic, 360º protection. This is beyond the scope of alarms that cannot monitor different points of the installation at the same time. Hence, hybrid manned guarding - physical plus Hawkeye - could provide new solutions in large housing estates, industrial complexes or areas with heavy footfall such as a shopping centre.

Technological progress does not stop. algorithms are constantly refined from their experience and the posts are bolstered by cameras that adjust their sensitivity to weather conditions - a very windy area, for example - special optics with long-range zoom or night vision capable of recognising colours. The human eye is also perfected: security guards are trained in AI capabilities to reduce response times, while those responsible for the service analyse new types of incidents and define the protocols so that security guards always know what to do, what not to do and who to notify in each scenario.    

Slelatt summarises as follows: "It's different, its response capability is impressive. When users understand the new concept of smart manned guarding, that there are always people behind it and that it combines the best of face-to-face and digital, a large space will open up in the market".