Drones in Nigeria, the fight against crime

Season 2 of the With Ingram series of PODCASTS kicks off with Philip Ingram MBE having a chat with Jerry Akubo who works with the Nigerian Police but is the founder and CEO of the Technology Against Crime NGO which is delivering technological ideas and solutions to issues across the African Union member states. The first thing to deliver is a common understanding and it is clear Jerry has a clear understanding of where technology can help.

Transcript

Philip Ingram MBE:   0:00
Welcome to Season two of the With Ingram series of podcasts. I'm Philip Ingram and today I'm talking to Jerry Akubo from the Nigerian police and the Technology Against Crime NGO. We're talking about the use of technology and UAVs in particular. This is fascinating.  Warning...... You might actually learn something. Welcome Jerry Akubo.

Jerry Akubo:   0:23
Thank you.

Philip Ingram MBE:   0:23
Could you tell us a little bit about where you fit into the police in Nigeria and what it is you do actually?

Jerry Akubo:   0:29
Well, for me, there are lots of things from the conventional police in operations Teo Technical operations. But basically, for the past, off six yes or thereabout? I've been on the technical side of it, trying to see that the infrastructure we have that has to do with integrating technologies are ground to the existing command and control systems are open running. So for now, presently all out trying to get more solutions to see what's walkable on what Bette's feeds for the African regional.

Philip Ingram MBE:   1:03
So what are the real technical challenges that you've got at the moment in Nigeria and therefore presumed through Africa?

Jerry Akubo:   1:10
Well, lots of technical challenges dough first and foremost, we have to battle with the Internet service provisioning, satellite availability and operations deficiency that can't be overemphasised in terms ofthe crimes and criminality is that's ongoing, especially in the remote areas. Some off this area's inaccessible. You can't really get your way in there, so you need core technologies. And most of this technology has to do with satellite and the Internet to get across to this places. But then we have deficiency in these and look into what's getting better solutions to get distance, open, running and partly. That's why we are here at Interpol Ward to see yourself for solutions together best.

Philip Ingram MBE:   2:01
Have you seen the nature of crime in Nigeria changing over there over the years? One of the greatest threats

Jerry Akubo:   2:07
for us the greatest threats is first and foremost. Just like I always say, crime has to do with the mind set off the populist, essentially the government presently walking towards changing the mindset off presents or people or the population as a whole so won. The mindset is changed. There are a lot ofthe crime going uncontrolled, essentially like the illegal oi Bon chri like terrorist activities. Don't not any metropolitan areas and northern exist but then there tendencies that once the mindsets is controlled and we can have less off this operations and crime.

Philip Ingram MBE:   2:53
Looking at your profile, one of your areas of responsibility or expertise is in the maritime environment. That must be a very difficult environment of police. What particular challenges that you have there

Jerry Akubo:   3:04
in the maritime environment, you know, 70% off the office, essentially world over. It's it's a marine ecosystem is a maritime environment. It's a water based on for Nigeria. It's not a different case. Our midget challenges lies in the Gulf of Guinea, where pirates activities presently dough. It's going on a reduced platform compared to two or three or four years back, because off the integration off the present government that been able to set up the Falcon Technologies, which is domiciled with the Nigerian navy alongside the long range interception systems and basically the Raiders that set up but one off our major challenges. As I mentioned, Alia is satellites. Availabilities solutions would have knock over like close to 35 nautical miles within the Maritime German and will have close to over 200 exclusive economic zones to cover, so you can see This is a massive challenge. Infrastructures need to come in.

Philip Ingram MBE:   4:15
You have a common theme coming out of what you're saying is the difficulty in covering vast areas. But I know that you've been looking at innovative unmanned aerial vehicle technologies which must be helping in that. Can you explain a little bit more about how you're looking at that to help enhance policing activities in Nigeria?

Jerry Akubo:   4:32
Absolutely. That's focus for us now, especially for the developed countries. Developing countries and countries are like when it comes to law enforcement agencies or law enforcement. Innovative solutions are always sought after. And one of the core innovative solution is the on Monday of vehicles or drone. Why? Because it's more or less. One solution. Fitz Hall is a solution that can be integrated with A that technology integrated with remote sensing, and it will also be integrated with satellite all at the same time to give you a comprehensive view ofthe environment more like awareness capability, depending on the sensors off the particular U A V and what kind of crime or what kindof scenario it really needs to get sorted.

Philip Ingram MBE:   5:26
You mentioned about sensing what's a remote sensors in remote sensing. Do you do?

Jerry Akubo:   5:30
Yeah, essentially the remote sensing We do. Basically, for the Ellie that the law enforcement essentially is has to do with Falcone, which I Elliot discussed. The Falcon eye is more or less like satellites with six optical sensors, essentially wender crimes or criminality, or when there are areas of interest for you, the law enforcement agencies. We foreclose this set light to that very particular area and what it does. It captures whats happening. It's wipes over that very area and tells us it gives us characteristics off what's happening at that very environment at all points in time and these characteristics are captured and sent to the remote command and control centres are common and control centres. This is set up on the system such that it gives you based on the criteria has been set up. You want to know which kind of people are coming in to this place at such some points in time, you want to know the routes they thinking. You want to know how they are moving because this place in a sensible most times for for four vehicles there's no vehicular movements, then you want to get the root comin in on the only option you used to get this is set up a remote sensing apparatus that run through that very place for a couple off weeks and this will be sent to the command and control centre. Then the command and control centre analysis will be done. And once this is integrated, then you put your analysis on the U. A. V, and you can send it directly to the longitude latitude and determine which has to do with time stamp off what you intend getting from this and violence.

Philip Ingram MBE:   7:08
Now you met you mentioned Paris e coming in. But what's what's the threat from Al Qaeda on DH? So called Islamic state related terrorism do the same sort of policing techniques and remote sensing techniques help you defeat those threats as well.

Jerry Akubo:   7:24
Yeah, essentially, just like I said earlier, these traits uh, being controlled presently with the president up to set up by the government in terms ofthe having predefined optical sensors that what's true, these areas that are known as a black spot before now they are blind spots. They're more like blind acts that are not visible because you can get accessibility there. How can you see How do you know what's happening there? But with the optical sensors now this places are on constant watch. So whatever happens here or happens, there is swiped and sent to the remote command and control said. And I think this is really, really bringing this crime train to a lower platform.

Philip Ingram MBE:   8:09
Okay, so you're saying the crime trend coming down, Terrorism trend coming down as well? Absolutely, absolutely. If you have one or two key messages that you wanted to leave the whole audience, what would those messages being wine?

Jerry Akubo:   8:22
Well, for me, it's just one word. And that is, we need to embrace collaboration because that is the big. That's a bedrock off law enforcement wall over, because without collaboration, if countries happened to start on interim, very platform off operations and walk independently, then there's bound to the issues. And Interpol, a platform that brings together law enforcement agencies from different countries, brings together academia as well as subject matter experts and law enforcement. To get the best out of this need to always coming up front to see what and what they can get in terms ofthe solution from this operation, to take back to the member countries and see how the integrated to the existence 16. And this will be good for all member

Philip Ingram MBE:   9:13
countries. Jerry has been real pleasure talking to thank you for giving up your valuable time to talk to us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.