I shouldn’t boast, but sometimes I reckon the authorities should just read my page every week and implement what I suggest.
The City and the Province’s security bosses JP Smith and Albert Fritz are considering blocking cellphone reception in prisons.
Now I hear you say that crafty prisoners will simply find other ways to communicate with the outside world.
And yes of course they will; after all, they have all the time in the world to sit around to come up with ways to crook the system.
But without cellphone coverage, it would make planning and executing crimes a lot harder for them.
And since it has already been successfully tested in Parliament, we know that government has the capability to shut down a building digitally.
Alternatively, get our spies to scan all cellphone communications leaving prisons, to learn about crimes being planned.
On the topic of how tech can be used to both commit and curb crime, allow me to make another suggestion to the authorities.
I am often told how Cape Town is now the technology leader in Africa.
So why are we not using technology more to help us fight crime?
CCTV cameras are simply not enough, especially considering that so many of them deployed in Khayelitsha are not working!
The Shot Spotter programme is helpful, but it has done very little to help us prevent the 1 600 murders that have been committed in the Western Cape, since the beginning of the year.
NOT ENOUGH: Cameras. Photo: Supplied.
And the truth is, national government is not going to deploy the army to Cape Town, so we might as well stop hoping and asking.
Let’s rather look at what is already possible with tech. We have become very good at making satellites and launching them into space.
The kids at CPUT have already made two that are currently doing amazing science from earth orbit.
Let’s ask them to work on a geo-stationary satellite that can look down over Cape Town 24/7 with a variety of sensors and cameras.
They can load these sensors with Artificial Intelligence (AI) containing all the data and analyses we have about criminals and criminality, which can then be used to scan hotspots.
For example, programme them to look for cars with three or four occupants, driving around aimlessly at odd hours of the day, in areas known for crowbar gang activity.
That information can then be prioritised to crime fighters, who can stop the crime before it happens.
Include infra-red and teach the sensors to identify guns from all angles and in all situations; on people, in cars, buried underground and being fired.
These satellites are powerful and can do amazing things. And I am told that when you give young programmers a challenge, they will find ways to solve it using a computer.
Brain surgeons are already able to delicately operate on someone from the other side of the world with the help of robots.
One of our satellites is currently keeping track of ships along our coast.
AI is in all likelihood going to find a cure for cancer very soon, while robots are performing prostate surgeries on our doorstep.
With enough support and funds, ambitious millennial coders are achieving the impossible with their computers. And I’m convinced they can do this too.
Like I said last week, crime isn’t normal; so we need to stop using normal measures to tackle it.
In fact, Mr Smith and Mr Fritz, when you plan future crime-fighting meetings, involve the people from Silicon Cape to advise you on some other tech solutions.
SECURITY BOSS: JP Smith. Photo: Supplied.
We are spending millions on crime-fighting at the moment and we are losing the battle.
We are in a brave new era where teenagers are literally saving the world with a few lines of code.
Give some of them a crack at this and you may be shocked at what they come up with.
Like in a succesful business, what we need is some innovation, vision and the willingness to take a few risks.
Oh and by the way, while we’re at it, many motorists have dash cams these days.
Consider creating a cloud service where they can choose to quickly and immediately upload incriminating footage that they have captured, while driving around on the roads.
While this could help with investigations, it will definitely help identify taxi drivers doing crazy things on the road.
All crime is crime, so we might as well start small.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za