Birmingham Gun Crimes Should Be Heard If Not Seen
The police in Birmingham are using audio-location technology to allow them to be proactive against gun crime
A British police force is piloting gunshot location technology to crackdown on gun-related violence.
Microphones have been strategically placed around the Handsworth and Aston districts of Birmingham as part of the Gunshot Location System, devised in California by ShotSpotter. If a gunshot sounds, the police can use three or more of the recordings to triangulate where the sound occurred and generate a GPS location for ground forces to home-in on.
A sound approach to fighting gun crime
Despite the high incidence of gang violence in these districts, the local residents have expressed concern that the police will use the microphones to listen-in on private conversations. Chief superintendent Chris McKeogh, of West Midlands police, has assured them that the microphones normally lie dormant and only a loud report from a gun will turn them on.
When gunshots are detected the audio signal is sent to a central control room where operatives can listen to them and see a visual analysis of the sounds. Gunfire has a distinct audio profile and the microphones will not usually be triggered by cars backfiring or fireworks exploding. ShotSpotter claims an 85 percent success rate.
The operatives can determine whether the shots are from a single source or several to determine what actions should be taken to protect bystanders and residents.
The system does have limitations, as McKeogh pointed out to the BBC, “Shots, or a shot, being fired outside have the best chance [of detection]. Inside, or with a silencer, the ability is not so good.”
The system has cost £150,000 to deploy and annual upkeep costs of nearly £21,000. In the 51 US cities where it has been deployed, police claim that it has cut gun crime by nearly a third.
Never miss a shot
Inspector Kevin Borg, project leader of the ‘Safe and Sound’ initiative, said, “We may not get 999 calls every time a gun is fired, as members of the public are sometimes scared and may not want to report gunfire in case of reprisals. But we now don’t have to wait for a member of the public to dial 999. We will know when a gun is fired.”
The ShotSpotter system has been endorsed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and is being implemented as part of the Safer Birmingham Partnership, made up of West Midlands Police, Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Fire Service and other agencies.
The installation and testing has been undertaken by UK firm GunShotLocating (GSL). Other regional police forces are believed to be evaluating the success of the project, including those in London, Manchester, Nottingham and Liverpool.
Earlier this year, two police forces in Britain are trialling new technology powered by IBM, which can reportedly help predict when and where crimes will be committed before they happen.
