Phuket Provincial Police have reported progress in the rollout of an AI-powered surveillance network designed to improve public safety and tackle traffic problems across the island.
The Phuket Eyes project was launched in January to strengthen security in the resort province, which welcomes at least 13 million visitors and generates more than 500 billion baht annually, the second-highest provincial total nationwide.
Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum, commander of Phuket Provincial Police, said the project was initiated under government policy and the direction of Pol Lt Gen Surapong Thanomjit, then commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8.
The first phase, costing 98.74 million baht, added 503 AI cameras to 233 existing units, creating a network of 736 cameras covering Phuket’s three districts and 11 police stations.
The system comprises 389 fixed-view cameras, 68 facial-recognition cameras, 30 pan-tilt cameras and 16 licence plate recognition cameras. It can process vehicle registration data within fractions of a second and track targeted vehicles and individuals in real time.
The network is linked to databases containing more than 1,300 arrest warrants in Phuket and over 100,000 warrants nationwide maintained by the Central Investigation Bureau.
It alerts officers when wanted people or suspicious vehicles enter the province by land or air or pass through checkpoints.
At Tha Chatchai checkpoint, facial-recognition cameras operate alongside an X-ray system that checks vehicle undercarriages for suspicious objects.
Two pilot Smart Poles have been installed in Phuket Town and Patong Beach, featuring SOS emergency call systems linked directly to the command centre as well as public-address systems.
Police have also deployed 24 body cameras for patrol and checkpoint officers. At Patong Beach, an AI-based warning system detects people entering the sea during red-flag conditions, allowing officials to intervene.
The Command and Control Centre, known as War Room 191, operates around the clock with 16 monitoring screens and is linked to sub-centres at all 11 police stations.
A GPS-enabled mobile application under development will allow residents and tourists to report emergencies in Thai, English, Chinese and Russian. The system can also detect traffic violations and automatically issue fines.
The network became fully operational in July. Authorities will assess arrest figures and cost-effectiveness after three months.
Police have proposed a second phase costing more than 100 million baht to expand coverage.