Australian cities expand surveillance with AI CCTV and drones

Sydney's AI camera upgrade

The City of Sydney is moving to overhaul its Street Safety Camera Program. The current plan involves enhancing 100 existing cameras with artificial intelligence, or AI, to identify crimes before they happen.

This technology, known as camera and systems data analytics (CSA), will either be built into the devices or added via software. The goal is to alert control room staff to unusual behaviors and reduce the time spent searching through footage for police.

The draft proposal focuses on preventing serious crimes like armed robbery, sexual assault, and motor vehicle theft. It aims to streamline police responses by flagging specific kinetic movements, such as vehicles traveling the wrong way or groups gathering in certain areas.

Drone policing in Perth

While Sydney updates its cameras, Western Australian police are launching drone policing in the southern suburbs of Baldivis, Kwinana, and Rockingham. This move precedes a larger initiative called the Drone as First Responder (DFR X) program.

Police minister Reece Whitby described the drones as providing an "extra set of eyes in the sky" for the authorities. They will launch from a central command center in the Perth CBD to monitor various issues including missing persons, land searches, and crimes in progress.

Main Roads Western Australia has already begun using drones to monitor traffic in Fremantle as of June 2026. These aerial tools are being positioned as a way to manage everything from domestic violence matters to stolen motor vehicles across the region.

Bypassing parliamentary scrutiny

A significant point of concern for civil liberties experts is that these surveillance tools are being deployed without new legislation. Because there are no new laws, these developments have managed to avoid the scrutiny of the parliamentary process.

In the past, NSW police trialed drone policing in the town of Moree, which was prompted by rising crime. While some thought such surveillance would stay in regional areas, the current moves in Perth and Sydney suggest a shift toward urban environments.

Critics argue that the public is being subjected to mounting encroachments without a formal consultation process. This allows the government to integrate invasive tech into daily life more quickly than if they were required to pass new laws first.

The limits of the new tech

The City of Sydney's draft proposal includes a specific restriction on how the AI can be used. It explicitly bans biometric facial recognition technology, which is used to automatically recognize human features in public spaces.

Instead of identifying who people are, the AI is intended to identify what people are doing in real time. The focus remains on identifying suspicious activities to assist with searching for people of interest wanted for specific crimes.

This distinction is important for understanding the scope of the surveillance. The government maintains that the use of CSA is limited strictly to the purposes of the existing Street Safety Camera Program.

A growing surveillance landscape

The simultaneous rollout of AI cameras and drones across different states suggests a nationwide trend toward high-tech policing. These tools complement existing methods, such as the use of sniffer dogs and metal detectors in various Australian jurisdictions.

The expansion of these technologies comes at a time when the public is becoming more aware of how data is tracked. The integration of these systems into government departments has been ongoing since the mid-2010s, often using platforms from private data analytics companies.

As these tools become more common, the line between public safety and constant monitoring continues to blur. The move toward automated surveillance marks a permanent shift in how authorities monitor the movement of citizens in public spaces.

What to watch for

The City of Sydney is currently seeking public feedback on its draft proposal for the Street Safety Camera Program. Residents can look for the updated code of practice on the official City of Sydney website to see the specific language regarding AI use.

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Watch

Whether the Perth drone program expands to other major cities.

How the City of Sydney responds to public feedback on the AI camera proposal.

If any new legislation is introduced to regulate the use of drone policing.