Antwerp police are considering monitoring the Jewish neighbourhood in the city with smart cameras to detect violent anti-Semitic incidents in advance.
The Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 and Israel's subsequent criticised military offensive against the Gaza Strip, and later Hezbollah in Lebanon, have spurred a rise in anti-Semitic incidents. This has resulted in the Jewish community in Antwerp being at threat level 3, which requires increased vigilance from police. It has also put Jewish people in Antwerp on edge, further fuelled by recent online calls to attack Jewish people.
This led to targeted actions by police, but a long-term, systematic approach is also needed. However, the city's police zone has now confirmed it will coordinate the European project Aegis (or 'Advanced threat identification and response in guarding Jewish communities') to protect Jewish communities.
As part of this project, Antwerp is looking into using smart cameras equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor its Jewish neighbourhood. The cameras are intended to detect incidents of violence before they occur.
"When these cameras will be installed and how many will be placed depends on the progress of the project, which starts in 2025," Antwerp police zone's spokesperson Wouter Bruyns told The Brussels Times.
Recognising aggression
The smart cameras can "recognise certain behaviours" as aggression, notify law enforcement more quickly, and facilitate the search of the camera footage database, enabling quicker suspect identification.
The Antwerp police will play a pioneering role in its launch, and work together with partners in Spain and Romania to develop new methods and technologies. The project will cost €1.4 million in Antwerp, 90% of which is subsidised by the European Union.
Orthodox Jews in Belgium's largest synagogue, in Antwerp. Credit: Belga / Jonas Roosens
As part of the project, Antwerp police will work to establish specific guidelines to respond to various threats against Jewish people in the city. Training sessions and discussions will also be organised with the community to strengthen connections.
Given the increased concerns for their safety, the Jewish community has welcomed the measure. "Anything that can help secure people against terror and hate crimes must be welcomed," Naftuli Pollak, Director of the Jewish Information and Documentation Centre (JID), told The Brussels Times. "But, of course, with respect for our privacy."
Privacy concerns
More police forces across Europe are using automated and data-driven systems, including AI, to profile people and try and predict their 'risk' of committing a crime.
Experts who watch over privacy and security have already expressed concerns about the use of such tools. Research has shown this can reinforce structural and institutional inequalities across society and lead to unjust and racist outcomes by targeting certain people or neighbourhoods more.
However, Bruyns stressed that the cameras will not read faces, but will only analyse behaviour. "No ‘recognition’ for faces is planned." Eventually, the cameras could be deployed in other "sensitive locations" in the city of Antwerp.
