Smart cities pave the way for a safer society

While urbanization is increasing at a rapid pace, the problems, especially security, are the same. is growing rapidly. While the unplanned and faster-than-expected growth of cities reveals urban inequalities, this can also endanger city security. Research allows smart city technologies to reduce crime rates by 30 to 40 percent and respond to emergency calls 20 to 35 percent faster.

Smart city approach all over the world. It is rapidly entering the agenda of local governments. Smart city investments, which started especially in the eastern countries of the world, are rapidly spreading towards the west. It is predicted that the economy created by the smart city market will exceed 1 trillion dollars in 2027. One of the prominent reasons for investments in smart cities is the contribution of the technology in question to public security. Today, 1.7 percent of the GDP of European Union countries goes to expenditures on public order and security. Although states increase their investments in order to ensure public safety, rapidly growing cities and the increasing population cause the security problems in cities to increase.

The way to overcome the increasing security problems of cities is through smart cities and technology. It's all about taking advantage of your power. Research has shown that using technology in city management, that is, adopting smart city management, reduces the crime rate in cities by 30 to 40 percent, and the response speed to emergency calls increases by 20 to 35 percent.

The smart city approach promises many innovations in terms of public safety. Cities can become safer with smart cameras used to prevent crime, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, smart lighting and systems that constantly transfer data to administrators. With the smart city approach, citizens can also become a part of the solution.

New generation emergency calls

The methods in the emergency call systems we use today to reach the police or other response teams in emergency situations have not changed much since they first appeared. Using traditional telephone and radio technologies, officers receive citizens' calls, convey the information verbally and produce solutions accordingly. This may begin to change with the use of smart city technologies. Thanks to smart cameras; Suspicious movement, object or situation can be easily analyzed and a warning can be sent to the relevant center. In this way, officers are enabled to make quick and accurate decisions and have the opportunity to take precautions or prevent problems before they occur. With the introduction of new generation call services operating over the internet, various digital data can be transmitted to this call center. In addition to calling the call center, citizens can send messages, photos, videos and more, allowing officers to review and intervene directly. With mobile applications created by smart city security systems, information about security problems can be collected instantly in line with the permission of citizens.

Preventing public security problems

Smart city systems can leverage the power of big data and analytics to predict when and where crimes and other types of public disorder may occur by examining historical public safety data, police records, criminal behavior data, camera footage . The most important example of this takes place in Vancouver, Canada. Vancouver police use predictive models using historical data to identify areas of the city where residential or commercial burglaries are expected, and then deploy officers to prevent potential crimes.

Şekip Karakaya, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SAMPAŞ Holding, which has been using the power of informatics for 42 years to strengthen and popularize the smart city approach, said, “Crime rates are decreasing with the transformative effect of the smart city approach. Artificial intelligence, prediction Thanks to analytics and real-time monitoring, smart cities become centers of prevention, rapid response and community empowerment. Crime is becoming less of an isolated event and more of a puzzle piece in the mosaic of urban life, where smart sensors and interconnected systems enable law enforcement to seamlessly predict and mitigate potential threats. In this visionary future, crime rates decrease as the city itself becomes a vigilant guardian, ensuring a harmonious coexistence between city dwellers and digital sentinels. However, I should also add that making a city smart is not just about adding digital interfaces to traditional infrastructure. Making better, more accurate and faster decisions means consciously using technology and data to improve the quality of life. Our local governments have this vision and are taking important steps towards it. "I believe that Turkey will take important steps in the use of smart city technologies in the coming period," he said.