Inside the tech revolution helping police displace 90% of crime

Genetec is the first in Australia and New Zealand to achieve IRAP certification for its full cloud security suite – transforming how police and cities fight crime. In this episode of Cyber Uncut, Genetec’s Lee Shelford reveals how tools like Cloudrunner and Community Connect enable smarter vehicle tracking, real-time video sharing, and stronger public-private collaboration.

Liam Garman, editor of Cyber Daily: In the last six months since our previous podcast, Genetec completed and passed its IRAP assessment. This makes you the only company operating in this space to have successfully completed the IRAP assessment!

Lee Shelford, sales engineering manager and cloud lead at Genetec: Genetec has become the first company in the Australia-New Zealand region offering security solutions to successfully complete the Infosec Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) for its full suite of cloud services. This achievement follows a rigorous year-long process, including a technical assessment in Montreal by Australian government-appointed assessors.

According to Lee Shelford from Genetec, this certification enhances trust with government clients, including police and city agencies, and provides a secure foundation for deploying Genetec’s cloud tools in sensitive environments.

Garman: How is Genetec’s Cloudrunner solution contributing to community safety?

Shelford: Cloudrunner is Genetec’s vehicle identity solution, capable of identifying not just license plates but also the make, model, colour, speed, and direction of vehicles. This rich data, when combined with machine learning and smart search tools, allows law enforcement to detect suspicious activity – such as a vehicle scouting a location days before a crime – and respond faster and more effectively.

Garman: What is Community Connect, and how does it change public-private security collaboration?

Shelford: Community Connect is a framework – not a product – that enables secure, efficient video sharing between private infrastructure (like shopping centres or transport hubs) and public agencies. Unlike the clunky surveillance methods of the early 2000s, which required extensive cabling and risked data breaches, modern encryption and cloud-based tunnels allow real-time access while keeping control in the hands of the video owner. This empowers both parties to work together during incidents without compromising privacy or data security.

Garman: How does Genetec address the complexity of different systems and organisations?

Shelford: Genetec offers a plug-and-play device called Cloudlink, which connects with existing video management systems (VMS) without requiring full system replacements. For disconnected or offline systems, like petrol stations, Genetec’s camera registry allows police to request specific footage through secure cloud channels. This hybrid approach ensures broader video coverage across cities without heavy infrastructure investment.

Garman: What’s the long-term impact of these solutions on law enforcement?

Shelford: With smarter video integration and cross-agency collaboration, Genetec’s technologies are helping police displace up to 90 per cent of crime in some areas. Both proactive tracking and reactive investigation become significantly more efficient – potentially transforming how cities manage public safety.

To listen to this episode of the Cyber Uncut podcast, you can download it here.