Six projects have been awarded shares of more than £460,000 to develop technologies for detecting people carrying knives in crowded places.
The work is aimed at supporting the police with one of their major challenges in dealing with large crowds.
The money is being provided by the Home Office and Department for Transport through the Defence and Security Technology Laboratory and the Defence and Security Accelerator programme, and will support the development of solutions involving radar and electromagnetic and acoustic sensors
It will fund six-month proof of concept projects led by Security Screen Technologies, Iconal Technology, Loughborough University, Thales, Xenint and Advanced Nano Tech and Scientific.
They are focused on technology that is safe, easy to operate, unobtrusive and suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
Police support
The work is being supported by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and if the projects perform to the desired level, the Home Office will work with the police to assess how the products could be used on the frontline.
Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability Victoria Atkins said: “We are determined to protect families from these devastating crimes, and new technology must play a key role in this, together with effective early intervention work and strong law enforcement.
“I’m pleased the Government has been able to support these exciting and innovative projects which have the potential to rid our streets of dangerous weapons.”
Image by iamthewalrus CC BY-SA 3.0
