<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Crime-fighting Artificial Intelligence (AI) will soon be keeping an eye on Melbourne.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lord Mayor Nick Reece is boosting the city's number of CCTV cameras and what they can be used for.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When a </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-southbank-yarra-stabbing-police/47f91b49-58d3-4e46-ba09-c58521228071#:~:text=Five%20teenagers%2C%20some%20as%20young,after%20reports%20of%20a%20brawl." rel="" target="" title="father was stabbed outside Crown Casino t"><span>father was stabbed outside Crown Casino t</span></a><span>his month cameras helped police catch the alleged attackers in less than 20 minutes.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/south-east-queensland-total-fire-ban/d661fb00-173d-45d6-87eb-2893c95eb3fc" target="_blank"><strong><span>Tens of thousands without power post-storm as fire danger surges</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"In the last 12 months these cameras have been used more than 2500 times in police investigations," Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nicholas Reece said</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the race for the position of Lord Mayor, Reece promised to double the City on Melbourne's network of 328 CCTV cameras.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're going after blackspots and we're going after hotspots," he pledged.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/new-cctv-cameras-melbourne/0fb33682-9338-46f6-8012-2d2a028f061e" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A hundred more are already funded and, after expanding to Lygon Street last yea,r the Lord Mayor wants eyes on the MCG and access to the cameras on Melbourne's new Metro Tunnel.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said: "We know a police presence will drive down crime.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I'm not aware that those conversations have commenced, but those conversations need to happen."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The system already alerts Victoria Police to 300 incidents a month and was used to track an alleged gunman to Bourke Street without the need to activate the city's emergency speaker system.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/russia-tests-new-nuclear-cruise-missile-putin-says/986d0c5c-fe8a-4037-af11-bad957700b56" target="_blank"><strong><span>Putin fires warning shot at the world with incredible new 'super weapon'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The city siren system was set up for terror incidents where you need to bring the whole city to a stand still," Reece said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The more than 300 cameras in the city right now are monitored 24/7 but everything's manual and watched by operators.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Starting next year, the City of Melbourne will turn to AI to help.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Face matching technology is already used in cities like New York and at major events like the Australian Open.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bunnings-breached-privacy-of-customers-by-collecting-facial-data-using-cctv-report-finds/6cf57a56-1d84-446e-9a43-47070a83710f" rel="" target="" title="But when Bunnings used it without customer consent "><span>But when Bunnings used it without customer consent</span></a><span> Australia's privacy commissioner decided the company had breached privacy laws.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The AI is not designed to track everyone but it can alert police to the presence of known criminals.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/louvre-museum-robbery-suspects-arrested-over-theft-of-crown-jewels/2f3f79a9-725a-46c8-8c5a-304cd3f28f3b" target="_blank"><strong><span>Suspects arrested over theft of crown jewels from Paris' Louvre museum</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"As Lord Mayor I'm really leaning in, this my most pressing priority for Melbourne and we are going to be relentless in making the city safe," Reece said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>For now, there are limits on what the City of Melbourne's cameras are allowed to be used for.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But before AI gets involved those rules will be loosened to include incidents of property damage, vandalism and illegal dumping.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Melbourne is a safe city - we shouldn't lose sight of that - but we can do better," Reece said.</span></div></div>