The when and where of an emerging crime type: the example of metal theft from the railway network of Great Britain

Metal theft has become an increasingly common crime in recent years, but lack of data has limited research into it. The present study used police-recorded crime data to study the spatial and temporal concentration of metal theft from the railway network of Great Britain. Metal theft was found to exhibit only weak seasonality, to be concentrated at night and to cluster in a few locations close to – but not in – major cities. Repeat-victimisation risk continued for longer than has been found for other crime types. These and other features appear to point to metal theft being a planned, rather than opportunistic, offence and to the role of scrap-metal dealers as facilitators

Systematic review of energy theft practices and autonomous detection through artificial intelligence methods

Energy theft poses a significant challenge for all parties involved in energy distribution, and its detection is crucial for maintaining stable and financially sustainable energy grids. One potential solution for detecting energy theft is through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) methods. This systematic review article provides an overview of the various methods used by malicious users to steal energy, along with a discussion of the challenges associated with implementing a generalized AI solution for energy theft detection. In this work, we analyze the benefits and limitations of AI methods, including machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks, and relate them to the specific thefts also analyzing problems arising with data collection. The article proposes key aspects of generalized AI solutions for energy theft detection, such as the use of smart meters and the integration of AI algorithms with existing utility systems. Overall, we highlight the potential of AI methods to detect various types of energy theft and emphasize the need for further research to develop more effective and generalized detection systems, providing key aspects of possible generalized solutions

The extent of crime and anti-social behaviour facing designated heritage assets

Heritage crime has been defined as any offence which harms the value of England’s heritage assets and their settings to this and future generations. There has been growing concern at the risks of crime and anti-social behaviour faced by designated heritage assets, but the true extent of heritage crime had remained difficult to measure. This study, commissioned by English Heritage, collated and analysed data on damage from criminal behaviour to heritage assets in England. The report provides a review of the data collection procedures undertaken by the study to identify those that are most effective in building understanding of the scale and nature of heritage crime. The report then tries to answer a series of key questions about heritage crime. Finally there are some conclusions and selective recommendations aimed at improving future understanding of heritage crime. Further information on English Heritage’s information and advice regarding heritage crime can be found at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/advice/advice-by-topic/heritage-crime/

Area Based Alarm System using 3D Cameras

Depth map cameras provide new ways of designing surveillance systems. In this thesis we evaluate three different cameras from two different depth sensor techniques, and propose a complete method for detecting thefts over a counter in a retail environment. Our algorithm covers pre-processing with noise reduction and background segmentation using the reflected signals amplitude as a confidence measurement. A plane is fitted both to the 3D points of the top of the retail counter as well as to the 3D points on the side (cashiers side) of the retail counter. The algorithm determines which foreground pixels are on the wrong side of both these planes. By running this result through a few methods to improve rigidity, we show that it is possible to detect thefts with a very high detection rate and low false positive rate. Finally we present the results from our testing of different versions on a database of activities with known ground-truth (theft/no theft)

Review on Design and Simulation of Electricity Theft Detection and Protection System with their techno-economic Study

Theft of electricity is a major problem faced by both developed as well as developing countries. It affects both the power as well as economic situation. It also at times is the root cause of blackouts. The objective of this paper is to design and simulate a system that can detect, which in turn, will help in protection from electricity theft

A Survey of Protocol-Level Challenges and Solutions for Distributed Energy Resource Cyber-Physical Security

The increasing proliferation of distributed energy resources (DERs) on the smart grid has made distributed solar and wind two key contributors to the expanding attack surface of the network; however, there is a lack of proper understanding and enforcement of DER communications security requirements. With vendors employing proprietary methods to mitigate hosts of attacks, the literature currently lacks a clear organization of the protocol-level vulnerabilities, attacks, and solutions mapped to each layer of the logical model such as the OSI stack. To bridge this gap and pave the way for future research by the authors in determining key DER security requirements, this paper conducts a comprehensive review of the key vulnerabilities, attacks, and potential solutions for solar and wind DERs at the protocol level. In doing so, this paper serves as a starting point for utilities, vendors, aggregators, and other industry stakeholders to develop a clear understanding of the DER security challenges and solutions, which are key precursors to comprehending security requirements

Latest technologies in criminal investigation (testing of foreign practices in Ukraine)

The aim of the article was to identify a set of innovative technologies in the field of investigation of crimes that can be tested in Ukraine. The leading research methods were the method of comparison, observation and comparative method. The activities of law enforcement agencies in the field of combating crime and ensuring the introduction of innovative technologies in the investigation of crimes were analyzed in the course of this research. It is substantiated that Ukraine is going through high-quality reform and legislative innovations, taking into account the best world practices. It is concluded that it is necessary to improve new sections of forensic science — digital forensics and develop a Strategy for investigating crimes in the digital age. These actions will promote the integration of the latest advances in science and technology into criminology, the development of certain theoretical positions, and optimize the detection and investigation of crimes. Further research will be based on the gradual introduction of positive European experience in this area