SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) will be deploying multiple drones to monitor crowd numbers in real-time at the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2025.
Held from Dec 31 to the early hours of Jan 1, 2025, the countdown is part of a series of events celebrating Singapore’s 60 years of independence. Besides the countdown at the Marina Bay area, residents will be able to take part in a variety of programmes at 17 heartland sites.
The Marina Bay area typically saw about 500,000 people at past countdown celebrations, a spokesperson from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said in response to CNA’s queries.
“With other celebrations this year, we expect the number in Marina Bay to reduce,” URA added.
However, the police are expecting large crowds to join in the festivities around the Marina Bay area.
SPF said on Saturday (Dec 28) that they will be using drones equipped with spotlights, blinkers and speakers to enhance visibility and allow them to broadcast public safety messages.
The Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) worked with the police to install a video analytics tool known as the Q-Crowd Counter, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision techniques to determine crowd numbers within seconds.
