Perth pub begins using facial recognition cameras
The newly opened Riverton Bar and Grill is the first hospitality venue in WA to introduce real-time facial recognition technology that enables its owners to identify and eject unwanted or blacklisted patrons.
Installed by Perth company Tecsec, the CCTV security system can match faces with 90 per cent accuracy. Everyone who enters the pub is captured by more than 40 cameras and their images stored on a computer, allowing the owners to quickly identify trouble makers on the Statewide barred list or those who are under age.
Owners Mat and Nat Graham-Helwig said the previous tavern in the area had a bad reputation, telling The West Australian there were “a lot of fights and antisocial behaviour,”
“We wanted to stop that from the get-go,” Graham-Helwig said. “We wanted to get the best camera system and the best technology to limit the amount of drama we have here.”
Australian Hotels Association chief executive Bradley Woods said if a venue wants to be proactive about ensuring they identify patrons they have previously banned or got on a restricted list it is their prerogative.
Sheridan Randall, 2nd November 2018
