IT takes on crime

The crime-fighting and security possibilities presented by the IT industry are wide-ranging. Devices such as cameras, monitors and alarms are becoming increasingly flexible and sensitive, with satellite technology making the transmission of high-quality video images to a remote site faster and easier.

Biometrics is making access control more effective and transactions more secure. And the spread of the Internet and advances in data management have taken the sharing of information and tracking down of criminals light years ahead.

Tracking and analysing types and incidents of crime using modern database management systems enables immediate trends identification and proactive crime-fighting on a scale never possible before.

Frans Triegaardt, director of Forensic Technology Services (FTS) of KPMG Business Advisors, says new technology allows for the analysis of vast and seemingly disparate information, to allow the authorities to follow an incriminating trail left by a suspect in a fraud, robbery or murder case, for example.

"FTS has been involved in various successful projects where the use of technology has led to the arrest of several fraudsters," he says. "These range from performing simple data analysis and applying interrogation methodologies using sophisticated software, to recovering digital evidence from computers where the evidence was thought to have been destroyed. Our Forensic Technology specialists can recover electronic evidence in a legally prescribed manner suitable for use in legal proceedings."

The use of technology has led to the arrest of several fraudsters.

Frans Triegaardt, director, KPMG FTS

FTS cites among its recent successes a case in which employees were involved in irregular transactions. "By performing simple data analysis on the organisation`s payroll and creditor databases, we identified fraudulent transactions or activity in excess of R6 million.

"By performing forensic data analysis, syndicated operations within the financial institutions market have been identified and so large-scale fraud has been prevented. Without the technology to enable us to investigate vast and seemingly disparate volumes of transactions, we would not have been able to identify many of these instances."

Tonie Deen, senior security analyst at business solutions provider Namitech, foresees a future in which all vital information is digitally archived, making the issues of IT and Internet security increasingly important. He highlights the use of the worldwide Echelon monitoring project, a global electronic communications surveillance system in which communications are monitored for keywords and data.

"While this sort of monitoring raises important privacy issues, it has the potential to cut back on crimes such as terrorism, paedophilia and fraud," Deen points out. "Of course, technologies such as these won`t go unchallenged on the privacy issue, but ultimately, they have huge crime-fighting potential."

Many of the new devices and tools are still a little too expensive to be in use in every home. However, the security industry reports that at some time in the future it is likely that the average person will access his or her home and workplace, and do business without having to carry keys, money or paperwork, with an instant fingerprint or iris scan providing all the ID and certification needed. Complex security codes could become a thing of the past, as people`s cars, homes and possessions are adapted to respond to their fingerprint scans.

In many countries, ATM and point-of-sale transactions are being adapted to use fingerprint scanning as a means of identification, and corporates are fast catching on to the advantages of biometrics - particularly fingerprint-scanning - over security codes and swipe cards for staff access and transaction control.

The International Biometric Group`s Biometric Market Report 2000-2005 predicts that biometric revenues will grow from $399.4 million in 2000 to $1.9 billion in 2005. It expects private sector usage to surpass public sector usage, which currently accounts for 70% of the biometric market.

Fingerprint-scanning differs from the 100-year-old ink-and-roll fingerprinting method in that optical or non-contact fingerprinting systems, which usually use prints from several fingers, are the standard for forensic use. Finger-scan technology acquires the fingerprint, but may not store the full image, using feature extraction techniques to save only particular data about the fingerprint on a smaller template.

Once features have been extracted and saved, they cannot be used to recreate the complete fingerprint. Experts report that this technology may have some drawbacks. Different companies may choose to extract different features of a fingerprint, making the resulting data incompatible with data captured on another system. However, saving entire prints raises the problem of having to store vast amounts of data, which makes searches for specific prints extremely time-consuming and possibly defeats the object of an automated fingerprint identification system.

Fingerprints have been accepted as identification methods by government agencies and courts of law for generations. However, just as it seemed that high-tech fingerprint scanning would make criminal justice processes more effective than ever, a US judge ruled that fingerprint evidence does not meet the standards set for scientific testimony.

Early this year, a senior federal judge in Philadelphia ruled that fingerprint experts couldn`t testify that a suspect`s prints definitely match those found at a crime scene. The decision is expected to prompt challenges in other jurisdictions, not only to fingerprints, but other techniques like ballistics and handwriting and hair analysis, which have already been weakened by other rulings. DNA analysis, usually presented in terms of statistical probability of a match rather than as certainty, has been found to meet the Supreme Court`s standard for a science.

Biometric revenues will grow from $399.4 million in 2000 to $1.9 billion in 2005.

Biometric Market Report, 2000-2005, International Biometric Group

A relatively accurate biometric solution suitable for medium-to-low security access control, but not forensic science, is the hand-scan. Hand-scan technology reads the top and sides of the hands and fingers, using metrics such as the distance between finger joints, length of fingers or height of the hand to make a one-to-one identification.

Voice-scan (or speaker verification) is another biometric application that offers virtually foolproof and unobtrusive access control and security options. It is well suited in areas where other technologies would be difficult to use - such as in call centres or telephony, says US-based International Biometric Group.

Signature-scan, also known as Dynamic Signature Verification, is a biometric technology that has not seen broad usage, but may soon help address the large demand for document authentication. Measuring the way in which a user signs a name or password, signature-scan examines stroke order, speed, pressure and other factors which relate to the actual behaviour of signing a tablet.

Iris-scanning is a more expensive, but possibly more accurate biometrics option, says the International Biometric Group, which uses black and white imaging of the iris of the eye to identify authorised users. Iris-scanning allows for effective identification of a unique iris pattern, even when an individual is wearing glasses or contact lenses, or has an eye infection. Retina-scanning, in which the geography at the back of the eyeball is mapped, is regarded as an exceptionally accurate biometric technology.

Advanced IT applications such as biometrics do more than control security and transactions - they are proving effective in criminal investigations and prosecutions.

Huge biometric databases will benefit the criminal justice system.

Frans Triegaardt, director, KPMG FTS

KPMG`s Triegaardt forecasts: "Within the criminal justice systems, the next expected advances include the electronic identification of citizens of a country or employees within an organisation. Huge databases will be up-to-date and accurate on First World citizens, and biometric technology should become commonly used for the identification of people. The criminal justice system will benefit greatly from this knowledge as individuals will be identified online and previous offences and convictions will be known immediately."

He agrees that biometric measures will play an increasingly important role in fraud and crime prevention. However, Triegaardt says that some stumbling blocks in the way of widespread use of biometrics include cost, the broad acceptance of its efficacy and non-invasive operation, and the development of standards for broader deployment.

Once these issues have been addressed, new technology could enable the police to pull over a traffic offender, digitally scan his fingerprints using a mobile device, and pull any outstanding warrants or criminal records from a nationwide database in a matter of minutes.

A five-year R365 million contract to overhaul the transport department`s technology system was recently awarded to consortium led by arivia.kom, and will see the latest IT applications going a long way towards enabling local traffic officials to instantly access offenders` records. The National Traffic Information System (Natis) is intended to introduce an integrated approach to South African transport management, with all related databases linked to each other. Among the systems to be linked to the new Natis system are the vehicle registration and drivers` licence systems, accident and traffic offences databases, and national and provincial call centres.

Already, traffic officials in KwaZulu-Natal have plans in place to introduce computers in roadside courts, allowing the prosecutor at the roadside court to introduce records of past traffic misdemeanours. The offender could even be served with outstanding warrants issued for previous offences and be asked by the court to give reasons for any unpaid traffic fines.

John Schnell, director of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial traffic police, recently announced that computers in roadside courts would be linked to the Natis database, other records and the traffic camera office. These advances are expected to not only make the roads safer, but also to combat vehicle hijacking and theft.

The Department of Home Affairs also has a project underway (Hanis) to implement an automated national fingerprint database, which could ultimately prove effective in preventing ID fraud and allow for efficient identification of crime suspects. The project will also see ID cards replacing the ID book.

Another crime-fighting technology in increasing use is DNA archiving. Advances in DNA archiving mean that a strand of hair, flake of skin or trace of blood, semen or saliva found at a crime scene can already be analysed and matched to DNA records of suspects to secure a conviction, prove innocence or identify a body. Experts say the future could see massive universal databases of the DNA patterns of citizens, to allow for instant identification and tracking of suspects and victims.

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been using IT and high-tech gadgets as crime-fighting tools for several years. For instance, it uses a National DNA Indexing System (NDIS) to electronically link forensic laboratories throughout the US, allowing them to exchange and compare DNA profiles in their databases. These databases include the profiles of hundreds of thousands of known serial offenders.

In a recent high-profile case in SA, DNA analysis prevented the probable conviction of six men on charges of raping a baby in Upington. In the face of apparently solid evidence that the six men had gang-raped the nine-month-old baby, DNA tests did not link them to the rape, and charges against the men were withdrawn.

Another innovation, facial-scan technology, has been tested in various crime-fighting initiatives. Facial-scan technology is an increasingly prominent biometric authentication technology, making use of distinctive features or characteristics of the human face, for use in fields such as physical access, surveillance, home PC access and ATM access. However, experts say this technology has its limitations. It is best used under controlled lighting conditions for one-to-one identification, and does not appear well suited to one-to-many searches.

The CBD surveillance system has resulted in a drop in crime, some dramatic arrests, and a return of business to the Johannesburg CBD.

Business Against Crime, ,

It had been hoped that facial scan technology would prove highly effective in scanning crowds and identifying known and suspected criminals. However, crowd surveillance experiments using facial-scan technology in the US have proved to be a flop. In June last year, the police in Tampa, Florida, embarked on a crowd surveillance project, using cameras to scan public places and match facial features with those of wanted criminals on a police photographic database. The system failed to find wanted criminals, but did falsely identify many innocent citizens. The police abandoned the system a few months later.

SA`s Directorate Special Operations (Scorpions) is also reported to be harnessing the potential of IT as a crime-fighting tool, launching a project to develop a high-tech investigation management system intended to make the Scorpions one of the most technologically advanced law enforcement units in the world. The project aims to integrate specialised applications developed in Australia, the UK and the US, with a Geographical Information System and Information Management System.

Triegaardt says technological advances in recent years are already helping to prevent crime and improve criminal justice systems. "The data-mining and digital evidence recovery software has increased to an extent where we can now perform investigations with a higher success rate than before."

The tried and trusted technology behind closed circuit television has now advanced to a point where cameras can send vast amounts of high quality digital imaging to remote controllers.

In the Johannesburg CBD, where rampant crime forced office tenants to flee en masse to the safer northern areas, a multimillion-rand surveillance system is being credited with a dramatic drop in crime and resultant increase in leased office space. The Sensormatic surveillance system was installed as a result of efforts by the organisation Business Against Crime (BAC) in April last year. The project, which began as a 15-camera pilot, is intended to grow to a 360-camera system by the middle of this year.

The cameras recently captured live footage of a man being murdered in the CBD. The BAC camera operator radioed the police, who arrested the killer and possible accomplices within minutes. BAC says many such violent crimes are captured on camera.

Data-mining and digital evidence recovery software allows for investigations with a higher success rate than ever before.

Frans Triegaardt, director, KPMG FTS

BAC says that since its inception, the CBD surveillance system has resulted in a drop in crime, some dramatic arrests, and a return of business to the Johannesburg CBD. According to the organisation, the Johannesburg Inner-City Surveillance Technology Project has also been identified as the model project in establishing the national standard for public area surveillance.

Cape Town`s BAC surveillance initiative has a similar success rate. Surveillance cameras in the CBD, in addition to a general police clampdown on crime, are reported to have cut the city`s crime rate by half. BAC says the street crime rate in the city has dropped by 80% as a result of the project.

IT is also enabling communities and individuals to do more to protect themselves against crime. Home security devices such as infrared alarm systems and wireless links to security companies have become commonplace in besieged suburbs. With technological advances, monitoring of a home from a remote location also becomes possible. Vulnerable farming families are now able to communicate, call for help and track local crime with the help of the Internet or mobile communication devices.

Far from being the stuff of imaginative moviemakers, high-tech security gadgets of every description are already being peddled via mail order and online overseas. For a few hundred dollars, the average homeowner can now equip his or her home with devices such as miniature wireless surveillance cameras and monitors; Internet-linked home surveillance; starter security kits that alert the homeowner to vehicles coming and going in the driveway, automatically sound chimes, open doors or gates, or control house lights when an authorised car approaches; and pressure sensors that trigger an alarm as people walk through a doorway. (www.smarthome.com)

Perimeter security is a major concern for homeowners. The CSIR says its latest innovation, christened `Neuraloptics` by the exclusive representative Mzn Sys-Tech International, is set to revolutionise intelligent commercial and domestic perimeter security, and could go a long way towards replacing the unsightly electrified and barbed wire fences.

The Neuraloptics system is based on a simple fibre optic cable and differentiates itself by using artificial intelligence in the form of neural networks. The system can be run along existing walls or fences, transmitting light to detect events through changes in signal amplitude. The system classifies alarms as `real`, `false` or `nuisance`, and triggers the display of a photographic image of the event on a PC monitor.

IT is only a link in the anti-crime chain. One of the weak links is community apathy.

Loet de Swart, director, AAT

Vehicle-tracking is another big business in SA, with its plague of vehicle hijackings and car thefts. Advanced satellite tracking systems are making inroads in the fight against this type of crime, with systems notifying vehicle security companies when a vehicle has been stolen, and allowing for the vehicle to be tracked and traced - even via the Internet.

One company dealing in vehicle-tracking devices, Matrix Vehicle Tracking, uses a combination of technologies to track and recover stolen vehicles. Matrix MD Stefan Joss says the company`s flagship unit uses global positioning satellite (GPS) technology to track the car to within 10m.

It also uses GSM or cellular triangulation for cases where GPS line of sight is not possible (such as when the vehicle is parked in a basement or where bad cloud cover or high-rise buildings block the satellite signal), as well as radio frequency beacon for close-in tracking. Customers are also able to track the movement of their vehicles via the Internet.

Joss reports that this combination of technology has enabled Matrix to recover 1 596 stolen vehicles with a total value of nearly R145 million in the past six years. The average vehicle recovery time is around 40 minutes.

In the process of recovering stolen vehicles, vehicle-tracking companies often also uncover other crimes, notes Joss. "Matrix has been involved in a number of operations that uncovered dealings with Mandrax and other drugs, in addition to stolen vehicles," he says. "Matrix has been leading a technological battle against crime for the past six years. Despite an increase in crime, Matrix is maintaining one of the highest recovery rates in the industry."

Tracker, another local vehicle-tracking company, works together with the SA police and claims over 9 800 successful stolen vehicle recoveries to date. One of its major projects was equipping the Mpumalanga Highway Crime Reaction Unit with the Tracker Police Tracking Computer as part of a plan to make the Maputo Corridor transit route safer for motorists.

Tracking technology is also being introduced to keep tabs on children overseas, but is not likely to catch on in SA for some time. However, those searching for missing children can take the search into their own hands via e-mail and Internet appeals for help. These technologies make distribution of photographs and searches for missing persons a lot faster and wider ranging.

Last year in KwaZulu-Natal, Always Active Technologies (AAT), the Storm Group`s breakaway research and development arm, launched a novel crime prevention initiative using mobile technology. The SMileS SMS (www.smiles.co.za) crime watch initiative aims to supply registered users with information on types and incidents of crime in their specific areas.

AAT director Loet de Swart says the project will be rolled out nationally during the first quarter of this year. He says the project is taking off well, with around 2 500 registered users and good support from security companies, which provide most of the incident reports.

According to De Swart, the crime watch system`s effectiveness was illustrated during the past holiday season, when a Ballito shopkeeper alerted by a SMileS warning called the police in time to prevent a gang of criminals from robbing his store.

De Swart points out that while high-tech solutions can be highly effective as crime-fighting tools, they are only a link in a "crime-fighting chain".

"To my mind, IT and high-tech solutions are only a link in the chain of anti-crime initiatives where all these links, from community to national government and the SAPS, need to be equally strong, or the chain will not hold," he says. "One of the greatest areas of concern or 'weak links` is the apathy of the community, who tend to demand solutions rather than get involved. This makes them part of the problem rather than part of the solution."