News

NEA Using High-Tech Thermal Camera with Face Detection to Catch Illegal Smokers

Boon Hun

2018-09-20 , 10:17 am

If you have the habit of smoking at void decks or at the park, you’re going to want to kick that habit now.

Even better, kick the habit of smoking if possible.

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Because one thing’s for sure, you’re not going to get away with smoking at unauthorised places for long.

NEA to Use Thermal Cameras To Catch Smokers

The National Environment Agency said they’ll be using thermal cameras in Singapore in the future.

According to the Senior Minister of State for Environment and Water Resources, Amy Khor, the cameras are deployed to capture smokers who smoke at prohibited areas and can be operated remotely.

How These Cameras Operate

The cameras are able to capture HD images of your face from as far as 100m away. And that’s not the worst part.

Typically, smokers will look around for CCTV and stay away from their line of sight. But these cameras an pan, tilt and zoom.

And they are able to operate in both day and night.

The moment there is any temperature differences, like someone lighting up a cigarette, the camera will “highlight the area, zoom in and capture it”.

Basically, the camera’s job is to let authorities know there’s an incident and capture the offender’s face.

According to a security solutions provider, it’s highly likely that NEA is going to go for cameras that operate within the 20-100m range as that’s when faces captured are clear enough to be identified.

These cameras are expected to be deployed at staircase landings, lift lobbies or corridors. But don’t expect to memorise the locations of these cameras and try to avoid them because they’re likely to be mobile.

Facial Recognition?

According to the same security solutions provider, it is possible that the cameras are equipped with facial recognition technology and linked to a national database.

This will give authorities the ability to automatically identify offenders.

It is understood that these images will be used together with other evidence like public feedback, to investigate and prosecute alleged offences.

Footage that doesn’t capture errant smoking will be deleted after a period of three months.

When Will You See These Cameras in S’pore?

It wasn’t announced when these thermal cameras will go online. Right now, NEA is still at the tender stage where they are evaluating submissions from contractors.

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But just in case you forgot which areas are smoke-free zones.

Here’s a list for your reference:

Omnibuses, private buses, private hire buses, school buses, and excursion buses
Taxis, private hire cars during paid chauffeured service, and trishaws
Cinemas and theatres
Amusement Centres
Clinical laboratories, healthcare establishments, hospital compounds, maternity homes, medical clinics, and nursing homes
Indoor ice-skating rinks, roller skating rinks, and roller discotheques
Public libraries, public museums, and public art galleries
Halls, ballrooms, and function rooms when used for meetings, conferences, seminars, courses, and exhibitions
The indoor sports arena, bowling alleys, billiard saloons, gymnasiums, aerobic centres, and fitness centres
Banks
The Supreme Court, the State Courts, the Family Courts, the Youth Courts, and the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents
Offices and common areas of office buildings
Factory
Pavilions within any residential premises or building
Changi Airport terminal buildings
Queues in public places
Selected air-con areas/facilities in private clubs
Shops
Washrooms, including mobile toilets
Bus interchanges and terminus
Bus stops, bus shelters, and bus poles, including any area within a five metres radius
Swimming pools, including changing and shower rooms
Stadiums
Community buildings/centres/clubs
Hawker centres
Food retail establishments
Entertainment outlets such as discotheques, pubs, bars, lounges, and nightclubs
Shopping malls and complexes
Covered and underground pedestrian walkways
Lifts and lift lobbies
Hotel lobbies
Markets
Multi-storey and basement carparks
Ferry terminals and piers
Any area within five metres of ventilation intakes, external windows, openings, entrances, and exits to buildings where smoking is prohibited
Playgrounds and exercise areas, including adjacent amenities for users
Common areas in residential buildings (e.g. common corridors, void decks, stairwells)
Covered drop-off and pick-up points
Pedestrian overhead bridges
Reservoirs
Parks under the purview of Jurong Town Corporation
Parks in public housing estates managed by the respective Town Councils
Premises occupied by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
Educational institutions and their compounds

It might be a good time to stop smoking in smoke-free areas.

After all, you know what they say, right?

A habit takes just 7 days to cultivate and 7 years to break.

Make sure to share this with your smoker friends, yeah? Coz soon, they can run, but they can’t hide.

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