Smart sensors making the streets safer

On 24 April 2014, five smart sensor concepts aimed at reducing domestic burglaries were presented to police chief Frans Heeres, High Impact Crime portfolio holder. The concepts are based on existing technology, but what makes them new is the fact that they combine technological and social innovations. They are the initial result of a Challenge in which SMEs, the police and TNO have worked together, facilitated by The Hague Security Delta.

The new sensor concepts are part of the ClaimYourStreet concept of TNO, which is encouraging citizens to take more responsibility for their own streets – for example, by individually or collectively purchasing sensors to detect burglars. The Smart Keychecker from SenseAnywhere uses an app, for example, to inform people that their front door is being opened while they are away from home. For the domotics of tomorrow, an experiment is being set up with sensors that know how burglars operate and can react automatically (www.tno.nl). There is also a smart doorbell linked to a camera, which shows who is outside the door. The StreetSenseLight is an application that uses street lighting for greater safety (). And if every home in the street has an alarm, residents can link them to each other to keep the street safe from burglars (www.centric.eu). From concepts to products
To transform these concepts into practical and innovative products, the idea is just the start. Managing Director Ida Haisma of The Hague Security Delta (HSD) national safety cluster wants to give the business sector the chance to take part in one or more development processes. In a subsequent HSD café, the sensor concepts will therefore be presented to a wider public and new companies will also be able to join. That way, they can optimise their products and services and thus increase the police’s power to catch criminals in the act and strengthen the resilience of residents.”

Source: TNO