AI weapons detection system to be installed at more N.S. hospitals after pilot project

AI-powered security units will be installed at up to 12 Nova Scotia hospitals.

Nova Scotia Health will continue installing an AI-powered weapons detection system at emergency departments across the province after a successful pilot project at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre in Truro, N.S.

The health authority says more than 7,400 people were screened during the two-week pilot project, with 49 “potentially dangerous items” intercepted during that time, and more people returning items to their vehicles before entering the hospital.

Nova Scotia Health previously said items deemed unsafe would be stored and returned to their owners when they leave the site, while firearms and illegal weapons would be given to police. It didn’t say whether any firearms or illegal weapons were intercepted during the pilot project.

The health authority says the technology helped reduce the number of secondary searches by about 25 per cent, compared to conventional screening methods like metal detectors, while improving screening times. It also says the system can distinguish between “everyday personal items and actual weapons,” which helps streamline entry and minimize delays.

The AI-powered units will be installed at 12 more sites across Nova Scotia in the coming months.

“These units will be prioritized for emergency department entrances, with the rollout expected to be completed in the next six months,” said Nova Scotia Health in a news release Tuesday. “Further expansion beyond this phase will be considered based on continued evaluation.”

The first new systems will be installed at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Infirmary site in Halifax and at the Dartmouth General Hospital on Dec. 13. Systems will be installed at the remaining sites beginning in January.

The pilot project was supported through the $7-million Safety Innovation Fund, a collaboration between the Nova Scotia government and the Nova Scotia Council of Nursing Unions to address workplace safety concerns and reduce violence in health-care settings.

“The safety and security of nurses, patients and others continues to be a high priority for the nurses’ union,” said Janet Hazelton, chair of the Nova Scotia Council of Nursing Unions.

“Using proven technology to reduce the risk of harm and violence in our workplaces is a worthwhile investment. This initiative offers prevention without intruding upon those who are providing or seeking care.”

The new security system was implemented at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre just a few weeks after a teen allegedly assaulted two security guards at the hospital by throwing bleach on them, striking one in the face.

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