Palmeiras home facial tech help nab criminals

Article posted by Coliseum, October 6^th, 2023

Image: Allianz Parque Stadium, Genaron, CC BY-SA 4.0

Facial recognition technology used on match tickets by the top-flight Brazilian professional football club Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras has helped the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP) arrest 28 criminals in four games at the Palmeiras home ground – the Allianz Parque Stadium in São Paulo, Brazil – the Government body said recently.

‘REUTERS’ stated that the facial biometrics system, implemented this year by the Brazilian club through the ‘Muralha Paulista’ program, aims to ensure that the person who has purchased a ticket from Palmeiras is the same as the fan entering the stadium.

However, its use has also helped the SSP apprehend criminals before they enter the stadium to watch the team play. It has also identified 253 missing persons.

The Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the City of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes, Brazil. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around 21 million supporters and more than 184,679 affiliated fans. They play in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top of the Brazilian football league system.

The Allianz Parque Stadium, also known as the Palestra Itália Arena, is a multipurpose stadium in São Paulo, Brazil, which holds shows, concerts, corporate events, and especially football matches of Palmeiras, the site owner. The stadium has a capacity to hold 43,713 spectators.

The club President Leila Pereira said in a statement, “We invested in the implementation of facial recognition to protect our greatest asset, which is the Palmeiras fans. We want our home to be increasingly safe for all the families that visit it and we are pleased to contribute to the public security authorities.”

‘REUTERS’ further stated that the facial recognition technology at matches allows realtime analysis to detect fans who have bought tickets from touts, the use of false or third-party documents, outstanding arrest warrants, non-compliance with court orders, and sanctions.

After someone is identified, access to the stadium is blocked and police are alerted to intervene.

Pointed out Guilherme Derrite, SSP Secretary, “This is an action of the police intelligence area with the objective of making the event venue safer and preventing access to people who could compromise public order.”

The SSP have issued arrest warrants related to theft, embezzlement, robbery, and drug trafficking.

As well as the 28 detained, 42 people not complying with the court orders were prevented from entering the stadium with the courts notified.

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