Robots are allegedly "not racist", but they also don't join unions, demand higher wages, have consciences or any issues like that. With facial recognition software, and potential DNA/fingerprint recognition tech, they can also identify people or their locations a lot quicker.
Cameras have definitely replaced traffic cops for a lot of purposes here. When I was little, you often used to see the police waiting in laybys to pounce on whatever speeding car came by them. Now you hardly ever see that, but you see speed cameras galore. They make good money for the police and are out there 24/7. Very occasionally you'll see them out with one of those handheld radar guns, but it's mostly cameras now. I know some police forces also have systems which can recognise fingerprints within seconds - a change from the old, slow physical files.
So that's one area. Another is the use of drones. Police drones haven't arrived in a big way where I live, but I know in the State of Victoria in Australia in 2020 that they were being used frequently to spot people who were violating their lockdowns. They had number plate recognition on them, so any cars that were outside the 5km (~3 mi) limit from their homes were being automatically fined and they were also using facial recognition software on others. I know China has both facial recognition software on their CCTV and uses a lot of drones, so they probably combine the two.
We aren't into Robocop territory yet, or are we? "Xavier", Singapore
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird- ... e-25180552The autonomous robots – names “Xavier” – are equipped with seven cameras that enable them to detect "undesirable social behaviour” such as people chaining bikes up where they shouldn’t, or groups gathering in defiance of Singapore’s strict anti-coronavirus social distancing rules.
For example, when a small crowd gathered to watch a chess match between two elderly players Xavier rolled up to break it up.
The robot instructed them to “please keep one-metre distancing, please keep to five persons per group,” as it scanned them with one of its seven cameras.
"Griffin", Cleveland PD
South Korean robot prison guard
"Dogo", Israel
https://www.wired.com/2016/07/11-police ... und-world/This 26-pound, eleven 11-inch-tall robot is packing a 9mm Glock pistol. Designed by Israeli firm General Robotics Ltd with help from the Israeli Police Counter Terrorism Unit, the Dogo can fire up to five rounds in two seconds. This small land rover can enter a house quietly, climb stairs, and even maneuver over obstacles. Ready with eight cameras and two-way audio, the Dogo allows police to communicate with and fire upon suspects without risking their lives, according to the company’s website. If law enforcement aren't looking to kill, the Dogo can also carry pepper spray or a dazzling light module to cause temporary blindness.
The creeping normalisation of police robots
https://www.digitaltrends.com/features/ ... alization/