As Radio Wrocław reports, the city is preparing a project involving the installation of at least 500 cameras equipped with artificial intelligence support. The system is to use solutions applied in South Korea; Korean specialists have also visited Bolesławiec to present the latest technologies.

Bolesławiec Mayor Piotr Roman told Radio Wrocław:

With such a large number of cameras as we are planning, artificial intelligence is necessary because it detects all kinds of unusual behaviour. If someone falls, or someone raises a hand against someone else, perhaps with some kind of tool, artificial intelligence immediately detects the behaviour and informs the operator.

This means that the system is not to be limited to recording images. AI is to analyse what is happening in front of the cameras and draw operators’ attention to situations that may indicate a threat.

It is not only street surveillance

The planned investment is to be considerably broader than the installation of cameras alone. As the Bolesławiec mayor points out in a conversation with the Wrocław-based outlet, it will also be necessary to build technical infrastructure, including fibre-optic networks, masts and a control centre.

Importantly, the system is also to include surveillance of the Bóbr River and the possibility of observing the city from its highest points. The mayor said:

This is not just video surveillance. It is also surveillance of the Bóbr River, for example, and monitoring to prevent disasters or natural calamities—in other words, observing the city from its highest points. Covering the city so that we can see whether smoke is appearing somewhere.

The system would therefore serve not only to respond to fights or other dangerous behaviour, but also to detect potential fires, river-related threats and other situations requiring intervention more quickly.

The city is looking for funding for the investment

Construction of the surveillance system is to begin next year. First, however, Bolesławiec authorities must find financing for the investment. According to Radio Wrocław, the city authorities are seeking an interest-free loan of approximately 20 million złotys. Bolesławiec also plans to apply for a grant of more than 1.5 million złotys from the South Korean government.

More information about the matter is available on the Radio Wrocław website. We will certainly return to the topic.