Anti-social Behaviour IoT

Introduction

This use case is from South London Partnership – InnOvaTe “IoT” Project.

Outcome
Using sensors to monitor ASB (anti-social behaviour), and areas where action may be required to avert accidents or situations developing, by putting in preventative measures.

Sectors
Local authority, Highways, Public Realm, Regeneration,

Key Stakeholders
Highways Team, Community Safety, Business Improvement Districts

Summary

Overview

The South London Partnership (SLP) designed a number of Internet of Things (IoT)  trials with the goal to capture data that could be used to reduce or prevent anti-social behaviour occurring in a number of locations in the borough. The problems being considered were illegal parking; car park barriers being opened without authorisation; traffic infringements such as no left or right turn junctions and on one-way streets; unauthorised motorbikes and mopeds; illegal entry to void properties. Trials were carried out across Kingston, Sutton and Croydon.

About the Author

The InnOvaTe Programme is an Internet of Things initiative by South London Partnership (SLP) to “pilot and research” IoT across the 5 London boroughs of Croydon, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.  The programme looks at ways to generate economic growth, support local businesses, help people live better, healthier lives and assist with addressing the climate emergency. The project assessed 150 IoT ideas for the councils concerned, implementing 48 of them successfully over 18 months. The programme was formally completed in March 2023.

Case Study Challenge 

A number of discrete IoT trails were deployed, each aiming to address a specific challenge. 

• The first pilot aimed to monitor car park capacity in Beddington Park with the goal of reducing congestion on the single-track road into the park. The scheme also aimed to deter illegal parking and help officers to ascertain whether capacity is generally sufficient for the number of visitors the park receives. In particular, residents who live along the single-track road have been subject to significant congestion in the summer months and the council would like to prevent this in the future.
• A second pilot aimed to monitor the operation of car park control barriers at sites including Overton and Poulter parks in Sutton. These two locations are known to be problem areas for criminal activity, such as fly-tipping and illegal encampments, both of which are facilitated by the opening of barriers without council permission.
• Another pilot focused on potential traffic infringements at locations such as no left or right turn junctions and on one-way streets. Until now, officers have received informal reports of infringements from residents and councillors but have not been able to quantify the extent of the problem or determine where there is a genuine need for intervention.
• A residential and nature reserve site lies on the border of Sutton and Croydon boroughs. After numerous complaints from residents and councillors, officers were made aware of the perception of antisocial behaviour on the Downs and keen to determine whether illegal motorbike use was an issue that needed to be addressed.
• The void property trial seeked to monitor vacated properties to confirm that there was no illegal entry to these sites within Kingston.

Implementation

Use Case Design Objectives

Sensors were strategically installed in various locations, including car parking spaces; car park barriers; lampposts; main entrances in different areas such as Beddington Park; parks with car park barriers; streets with illegal turns; illegal motorbike use; void properties. The purpose was to gather data on unexpected activities, and infringement issues. This data helped officers deter illegal activities, investigate infringements promptly, and monitor vacant properties to prevent unauthorised access and potential hazards like flooding or fire damage.

Commissioning (budget/procurement)

A number of competitive tender processes took place in 2021 and 2022 for various services related to this case study, with the primary procurement vehicle being the Crown Commercial Services (CSS) Spark framework. The budget range for all of these trials was less than £50K each, and most lasted a year, or just under.

Deployment (what / who / where / how long)

The following points highlight the various deployment approaches used in each of the related use cases. Most trials were run for 12 months or less:

• More than 150 sensors were deployed to parks to monitor car parking space occupancy. These sensors were discreet, small round discs embedded in the gravel. The collected data was transmitted to a nearby base station, which then relayed it to an online dashboard.
• A number of car park barrier sensors were deployed in various parks. These sensors communicated with a central dashboard to update the status of barriers, indicating whether they were open or closed. Alerts were sent to relevant officers when a barrier status changed, enabling real-time monitoring and immediate action against any unauthorised activity.
• The pilot trial for illegal left turn, right turn, and one way streets aimed to gather data on potential traffic infringements at specific junctions and one-way streets. They mounted 6 sensors on lampposts at selected sites, recording real-time data on traffic flow, types, and counts. This data was reported to an online dashboard, allowing officers to analyse and compile information on infringements. The collected data also contributed to a monthly report, aiding officers in identifying areas with significant infringement issues and deciding where enforcement cameras should be deployed. Sensors were frequently relocated to respond to changing enforcement needs.
• Traffic sensors were deployed around a large open space on the border between Sutton and Croydon that has a known problem with illegal motorbike activity. No one could quantify the scale or location of the problem hence by covering multiple streets and areas to gain better understanding of patterns and volumes.
• With void properties, motion-detecting sensors were installed near doors, windows, stairwells, and upper floors of 16 vacant properties, initially.

Technology Implemented

A number of different IoT solutions were implemented:

• Carpark Monitoring: 161 sensors provided by Ethos VO, in the form of a small round disc, were installed into the tarmac of the car parking spaces. The sensors collected data on whether a space was vacant or occupied, which was then reported into the nearby base station. The base station in turn logged the data onto an online dashboard interface which went live in early November 202.
• Car Park Barriers: A total of 20 sensors provided by IoT Solutions Group were attached to car park barriers in parks. These updated a central dashboard when the status of a barrier changed, moving either from closed to open or vice versa.
• Illegal Turns: VivaCity Labs mounted 6 sensors to lampposts at selected sites and recorded detailed real-time data on traffic types, flow directions, counts etc. This data was reported to an online dashboard which officers could review to collate data on infringements at those sites.
• Illegal motorbike activity: In September 2021, seven VivaCity Labs traffic sensors were positioned at main entrances to public spaces to monitor motorbike activity.
• Void Properties: Motion detecting sensors were installed near apartment front doors, back doors, windows, in the stairwell or upper floor of a maisonette of 16 empty properties by North PD.

Outcomes

Results / Key Findings

• IoT trials generated a significant amount of data, crucial for the effectiveness of the service.
• Parking data insights included maps, capacity, individual bay occupancy, and session info, aiding in the development of parking strategies.
• Data on illegal motorbike use enabled collaboration with law enforcement, securing £100k for measures against unauthorised access.
• Car park barrier data revealed widespread unauthorised access, leading to a bid for more sensors to enhance monitoring.
• Vacant property monitoring deterred squatters and prevented illegal entry, with plans to expand the trial to additional buildings for cost efficiency.
• All trials were successful, providing new insights and addressing challenges to varying extents.

Benefits / Usefulness of Data

All trials produce new data which was not available to the service previously. This in itself added stakeholders in strategic decision-making which was very beneficial. New data generated has allowed improvements to be made to a number of council operations as well as changes to policies. Data from the illegal left turn/right turn & one-way streets sensors revealed high infringement levels, enabled the council to identify where to strategically place enforcement cameras and coversley where the problem was insufficient in scale to merit action. The data assisted in identifying problematic areas and improving signage. Further the data enabled Council Officers to respond factually to members of the Public, MP’s and Cllrs when challenged with statements such as ‘there are hundreds of offences a day’. This was very helpful as it removed subjectivity and enabled a pure focus on facts and then in turn decisions.

Officers planned to expand the trial and obtain funding for more sensors, but concerns about data accessibility arose, requiring improvement in the data dashboard. Unauthorised motorbike access data revealed that peak activity occurred on weekends and school holidays, and cold weather reduced motorbike activity. This enabled Sutton Council to allocate funding to install motorbike inhibitor gates at specific locations based on sensor data. As a result of this success, the scheme extended to the neighbouring borough, Croydon. Void Properties monitoring initially showed no illegal access, serving as a successful preventive measure, however the sensors did detect an intruder on one occasion which validated the benefits of the use case. Additionally, it unintentionally allowed contractor monitoring to take place which assisted in giving the service more contract monitoring insights into services being delivered to the council.

Lessons Learned

A number of discrete lessons learned have been identified. Generally, it was noted that using discrete sensors for a specific purpose was more useful than sensors that captured a large amount of data. Connectivity played a big role in the success of the use case, as this did cause sensors to go offline which impacted data collection. This was mitigated by working with connectivity providers to boost the signal and ensure all sensors had sufficient coverage for the duration of the trial. It was also discovered that some sensors were insufficiently robust enough to handle the requirements of the use case. This unfortunately meant the pausing and even halting of a number of trials as suppliers were then required to make improvements to their solutions. Trials needed to be implemented for a significant amount of time (often months) in order to capture the necessary data.

Cross-referencing data points with other sensors was useful to confirm sensor data reliability during this period of settling in. Some trials experienced inaccuracies in data capture which required refinements to be made to the sensors themselves. For example; changes in lenses / realignment, or even improvements to machine-learning algorithms to better identify objects due to mis-classification. Regarding alerting, changes to tolerances were needed to ensure officers were only alerted when real events had taken place. This required many iterations and changes, which the supplier was often very willing to assist with.

Conclusion

In various trials, IoT sensors have proven to be successful tools for addressing different ASB issues. In general, residents and council officers were supportive of sensor installations, which provided valuable data on park usage, car park occupancy, and cafe popularity. Car park barrier trials led to a change in Council policy, revealing frequent truck damage and prompting the installation of CCTV for insurance claims. Trials for monitoring illegal turns and one-way streets provided objective data to address traffic violations effectively, with potential enforcement measures. During the monitoring of the open space for illegal motorbike usage other unauthorised caravan incursions were identified and because they were spotted so quickly action could be taken before significant damage or fly tipping had occurred thus saving the Council a considerable sum of money. Finally, sensors in void properties proved cost-effective, renewing for another year, and offering flexibility for relocation when needed. Again these were able to alert staff to break ins at the earliest opportunity thus preventing large scale damage or theft of materials such as copper which can result in flooding or significant interruption of services to neighbours.

Photos from the use case

Contact

For further information, please contact the service leads involved in this project, listed below.

Mark Dalzell
Head of Neighbourhood Services, Environment, Housing and Regeneration
London Borough of Sutton
mark.dalzell@sutton.gov.uk

Liam Swaffield
Technical and Infrastructure Manager, Environment, Housing and Regeneration
London Borough of Sutton
liam.swaffield@sutton.gov.uk

Liz Bishop
Neighbourhood/Estate Management Client Lead, Cambridge Road Estate
Royal Borough of Kingston
liz.bishop@kingston.gov.uk

Lewis Kelly
London Borough of Croydon
Lewis.Kelly@croydon.gov.uk

Pierre Venter
IoT Delivery Manager
Royal Borough of Kingston and London Borough of Sutton
pierre.venter@sutton.gov.uk

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