CAP AI cameras look beyond security

SmartGuard, a surveillance service operated by South African non-profit security provider Community Active Protection (CAP), now uses a cloud-based AI platform to analyse CCTV footage beyond security monitoring. The platform can identify operational patterns related to safety, compliance, productivity and customer behaviour.

“SmartGuard is an important part of CAP’s offering,” says Sean Jammy, CAP deputy CEO. “Not only do we secure stakeholders by monitoring almost 5,000 cameras, but the business unit provides revenue for CAP to deploy to secure residents across Johannesburg safer, thanks to our unique shared value non-profit model.”

The SmartGuard platform, developed in SA, is designed to address distinct operational priorities of businesses. The system can enable organisations to extract meaningful insights from their existing camera networks. The platform has been deployed across international markets, with 1,000 cameras connected in the United Kingdom and United States during the past six months.

According to CAP, the technology represents a significant shift in how organisations can leverage surveillance infrastructure, not simply to enhance security, but to improve business performance.

Ben Doron, who heads up SmartGuard within CAP, says: “Businesses have invested significantly in camera infrastructure over many years. The opportunity now is to make those assets work harder by turning them into intelligent data collection and operational management tools.”

The platform combines AI with human oversight in a hybrid operating model. AI is used to process large volumes of video footage and identify patterns, anomalies and predefined events. Trained operators then validate the findings, assess the surrounding context and make decisions in cases that require human judgement.

“The future is not AI replacing people; it is AI empowering people to make faster, more informed decisions,” says Doron. “Human oversight remains critical because context, judgement and experience cannot be automated.”

The technology extends beyond traditional security applications. In industrial and commercial environments, organisations can monitor compliance with health and safety protocols, including whether employees are wearing personal protective equipment such as hard hats. The platform can also monitor warehouse productivity, loading and offloading operations, identify illegal dumping, analyse vehicle and driver behaviour, and provide operational insights that improve efficiency across entire facilities.

For retailers, the platform can deliver customer analytics including footfall monitoring, occupancy levels and heat mapping to better understand customer movement and optimise store layouts and staffing.

SmartGuard customises AI prompts around a client’s operational requirements which can enable businesses to build highly specific monitoring and reporting capabilities that evolve as needs change. The result, according to CAP, is a comprehensive operational view that helps organisations move from reactive monitoring to proactive business management.

“This is about giving organisations a 360-degree view of their operations,” says Doron. “Security becomes only one component of a much broader business intelligence capability.

“By merging South African innovation with best-of-breed software, we have created a unique offering which has been well received in large overseas markets, and we are well poised to grow and create South African jobs as a result.”