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Tag: police force

  • Police robots patrol the airport in Singapore

    Police robots patrol the airport in Singapore

    They are intimidating enough to deter any would-be criminal due to their height of more than 7 feet when fully extended and 360 degree vision.

    They are not, however, Robocop.

    Following more than five years of experiments, the Singapore Police Force has now put these two robots to use in their patrol of Changi Airport. They are merely the first of several similar robots that the police intends to use in the Southeast Asian city-state to “augment frontline officers” in the ensuing years.

    The robots, which have been patrolling the airport since April, are meant to “project additional police presence” and serve as extra “eyes on the ground,” according to the force, which describes them as the latest addition to its “technological arsenal.”

    And they are no mere gimic. During an incident, says the force, the robots are able to enforce cordons and warn bystanders using their blinkers, sirens and speakers while they wait for human officers to arrive. Members of the public can directly communicate with the force by pushing a button on the robots’ front.

    The Singapore Police Force said Friday that more robots would be “progressively deployed” across the city-state.

    “The integration of robotics enhances the operational efficiency and capabilities of our frontline officers, enabling them to be more effective in their duties,” said superintendent and operations head Lim Ke Wei of airport police.

    Each robot comes with in-built speakers that broadcast audio messages and a rear LCD panel displaying visual messages. They stand at roughly 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) tall, but have extendable masts that take that up to 2.3 meters (7.5 feet).

    They are also equipped with multiple cameras giving them 360-degree vision, enabling airport police to have “unobstructed views” for “better incident management,” it added.

    They are just the latest robots to be employed on civic duties in this tech-savvy nation of more than 5 million people.

    Earlier versions of the robots were deployed at public parades in 2018 and 2022.

    During the coronavirus, robot dogs were used to enforce strict social distancing, while cleaner robots are a common sight at metro stations across the country – as well as at the airport.

    Meanwhile, transport officials are hopeful commercial flying taxis could be a reality in just two years’ time.

    But even in a land where robots are relatively common, the latest recruits could take some getting used to.

    American traveler Samwell Swant was among those doing a double take when he passed through Terminal 4 to catch a recent flight to Vietnam.

    “It was certainly a sight – like something out of a movie or Black Mirror,” Swant told CNN. “It was hard not to notice.”

    Curious, he approached it cautiously to get a closer look and saw it light up as a camera extended out.

    “ChatCPT… AI music… robots… Soon machines will take over the world and these security robots definitely look like they mean business,” he said.

  • Tory MP was exonerated of the sexual assault charge

    Tory MP was exonerated of the sexual assault charge

    Despite the fact that a prominent MP was exonerated of a major sexual assault charge, the Conservatives refused to reinstate the whip.

    Julian Knight vehemently rejected the allegations after being expelled from the Tory Party due to the situation in October of last year.

    But, he was denied his request for the Tory whip to be returned because of “additional objections.”

    Following more complaints to the Whips’ Office, Chief Whip Simon Hart declared: “We will not be restoring the whip to Julian Knight.

    These complaints will be directed to the proper police force or bodies, if necessary.

    The decision prompted an attack by Mr Knight, who accused the Whips Office of pursuing a ‘witch hunt’ against him in a bid to stop him ‘naming names’.

    He said: ‘The police have confirmed today that there is no evidence to support that allegation and closed their investigation. They did not even need to interview me to do so.

    ‘Yet the Whips Office now seems intent on continuing a witch hunt against me in an attempt to prevent my naming names.’

    First UK Cabinet Meeting Held As MPs Return From Summer Recess
    Chief Whip Simon Hart has not reinstated Mr Knight’s whip due to ‘further complaints’ (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

    Mr Knight added: ‘The fact is that there was never anything for the police to investigate. This was a single, false and malicious allegation initially brought to them by third parties, each of whom had their own clear motives for doing so.

    ‘In publicly naming me in connection with the allegation, the Conservative Whips Office acted disgracefully and in breach of natural justice by removing my anonymity.

    ‘Their actions meant my name was dragged through the mud and my good reputation immeasurably damaged.’

    Mr Knight, who is the chairman of the digital, culture, media and sport Committee, also criticised the police for ‘never even talking to him’.

    ‘Had the police taken the simple step at outset of interviewing me under caution, they would have seen that the allegation was false and scandalous,’ he said.

    ‘Instead, they waited four months, without ever talking to me, before deciding there was nothing for them to investigate.

    ‘It is now my intention to use every legal route available to pursue those inside and outside Parliament involved in having this allegation brought against me.’

    Last month he complained to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley about the handling of the allegation, calling the investigation ‘flawed and fundamentally unjust’.