Transforming Public Safety with AI-Powered Video Analytics

Managing safety during a major event

Hackney Council approached long-time security and surveillance partner Synectics to understand how video analytics could help them strengthen public safety.

A trial of Synergy DETECT, part of Synergy’s AI Suite, was agreed, and Hackney Carnival, anticipated to draw over 80,000 attendees, provided the perfect environment to showcase its real-world capabilities.

The council’s surveillance team was keen to see how analytics could help them monitor crowds, detect real-time incidents, and speed up responses to issues like slips and trips common to such large-scale celebrations.  

People counting was especially useful for tracking crowd volumes along key access points and transport hubs for the carnival. By setting thresholds, operators were alerted to any bottlenecks forming, helping them coordinate with support teams and the police to maintain crowd safety.

As an existing user of cloud evidence sharing capabilities, the council could securely share surveillance footage with police officers in real time, maintaining full control over what was viewed or downloaded.

A smarter way to scale up risk detection   

Synergy DETECT has now become part of Hackney’s broader surveillance strategy.  

“It’s the smart way to go for any local authority looking to improve incident detection rates”, explains Oliver. “Adding CCTV cameras doesn’t automatically mean better public safety. You’d need more operators to monitor them, and even then, there’s a limit to what a person can watch at once. Technology like Synergy DETECT, however, means operators spend their time investigating validated alerts and responding where it matters.”

AI-powered analysis is applied to camera feeds across the borough, covering public spaces and council-owned facilities, such as corporate buildings, libraries, and temporary accommodation. By handling the constant monitoring, the Synergy DETECT tools reduce operator workload and ensure teams can respond quickly to more events.

Hackney is currently testing different alarm types – silent, visual and audible – and plans to integrate with Synergy's workflows to make incident management even more consistent and efficient.

Knowing what’s suspicious for specific locations

Using Synergy DETECT, the council can monitor public spaces for rapidly forming crowds or unusual behaviour patterns that could indicate criminal or anti-social activity, such as vandalism.

Hackney’s team can configure detection thresholds based on the distinct behavioural patterns of each location. For example, while a side street near a convenience store may be quiet during the daytime, it’s normal to see longer dwell times when local students finish school. Tailoring analysis in this way helps deliver more accurate and actionable alerts.  

Protecting people, assets, and preventing theft

AI-powered video analytics is also helping the council safeguard high-value assets and the staff who work there at six park maintenance yards across the borough.

These depots hold essential maintenance equipment and vehicles, such as diggers, which thieves have targeted in the past.

The PPE detection tool flags when employees aren’t wearing the correct safety equipment when performing certain tasks.

Advanced object recognition also reduces false alerts by distinguishing people from animals or other environmental factors. Oliver adds: “This is important. These sites can get very dark, and visibility is often poor, especially in spring and summer when pollen clouds can be dense. Synergy DETECT picks up movement we’d struggle to see and accurately identifies objects, so we aren’t overwhelmed by unnecessary alerts.”

Borough-wide visibility

Using Synergy’s mapping and analytics, Hackney can create precise heat maps of problem areas. Rather than simply identifying the nearest camera, the system can pinpoint an exact location, even something as specific as a single bench on a specific street, which is starting to become a regular spot for drug use or dealing.

The council is now working with Synectics to build on these capabilities, adding layers such as incident severity to improve reporting and decision-making.

Increasing resource efficiency with remote access

Alongside Synergy DETECT, Hackney is also rolling out remote access capabilities and Synergy’s mobile app to improve situational awareness beyond the control room.

Rather than being tied to screens in local viewing stations, security staff covering around 30 sites can access live feeds and alerts via mobile devices, enabling them to patrol and respond more effectively.

“This is about smarter use of resources”, says Oliver. “An independent security consultant recommended this approach to reduce static monitoring and allow teams to be more proactive on the ground. We won’t be alone in getting this advice. The benefits of access anywhere surveillance are too great to ignore.

The flexibility of the remote access solution also makes adding new sites to the system cost-efficient and straightforward, maximising our team’s productivity.”