On a dark winter evening, a woman waits at a deserted train platform. A man sits uncomfortably close, making her feel unsafe. A new laser technology aims to detect this type of behavior and alert authorities before a threat escalates.
Rosie Richardson, a product and strategy director at a technology company, says women have historically been expected to protect themselves. She wants to change that by putting responsibility onto public authorities, space owners, and police.
Richardson is helping develop a tool that quickly identifies threatening behavior, like lurking or following someone, and directs help when necessary. The technology is being developed by Createc in Cockermouth, based on systems already used to monitor crowds at airports and train stations, including King’s Cross Station.
The system uses lasers to track people as dots on a screen. When unusual patterns are detected—such as someone moving oddly or following another person—security teams are alerted to check the situation.
“There are specific predator behaviors, like loitering or following someone, that the technology can detect,” Richardson explains.
Real-Life Experience Drives Innovation
Richardson’s own experience with sexual assault motivates her work. At age 12, she was assaulted in a crowd during the Tour de France. “It was that bystander effect—everyone saw, but no one did anything,” she recalls.
She believes technology like this could have prevented her assault by spotting suspicious behavior early and enabling intervention.
On a deserted train platform, the system could detect a man sitting unnecessarily close to a woman, trigger an alert, and allow security to respond via CCTV or in person.
Createc has used real-world data from stations and airports to map behavior patterns. The system applies laser beams and algorithms to determine which actions are suspicious. “It’s just an indicator for someone to check the environment and make sure the person is okay,” Richardson says.
A Tool for Safer Public Spaces
Richardson points out that many women have felt unsafe in public spaces. “Pretty much everyone I know has experienced something unacceptable in a public space,” she says. The new technology offers hope for proactive protection by spotting predators before they can act.
