GEORGE TOWN: PLUS Malaysia’s surveillance cameras – equipped with artificial intelligence to recognise abnormal human motion and behaviour – are showing great promise in thwarting potential suicide attempts.
Once detected, the system immediately alerts PLUS’ Traffic Monitoring Centre (TMC) so that a team can be quickly deployed.
Introduced in 2023, the PLUS Suicide Attempt Alert System (SAS) has raised overall prevention rates to 74%, while achieving a 86% success rate at SAS-equipped spots such as the Penang Bridge.
In a statement, PLUS said the system analyses movements and behaviour captured by existing CCTV infrastructure.
The company noted that Penang Bridge, which has seen numerous cases over the years, was one of the key locations benefiting from this technology.
“We have observed a significant improvement in the effectiveness of interventions,” it added.
In 2020, five of eight attempts were halted, while in 2021, four of nine attempts were foiled.
There was a temporary rise in 2022, when 23 of 28 individuals were rescued, but without a structured early alert mechanism, responses often faced significant challenges.
Since SAS was deployed at six strategic locations, interventions have become faster and more reliable.
In 2023, 18 of 23 attempts were stopped, including four of seven at locations with SAS.
In 2024, 26 of 32 individuals were saved, with 19 from 22 attempts at SAS locations.
“As of May 2025, six cases have been reported with one individual rescued. Two of these incidents occurred at SAS-equipped locations, with one successful intervention,” PLUS said.
It said it remained committed to expanding SAS and working with law enforcement and mental health agencies to strengthen support for people in crisis.
“This system enables us to detect a potential incident before it escalates and allows us to dispatch our teams within moments,” the company said.
The people are reminded to seek help if they or someone they know is experiencing emotional distress.
Support services are available at Talian HEAL 15555, the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service (03-2935 9935 or 014-322 3392), Talian Kasih (15999 or WhatsApp 019-261 5999), Befrienders Penang (04-291 0100), Befrienders KL (03-7627 2929).
Visit www.befrienders.org.my/centre-in-malaysia for the national list of Befrienders numbers and operating hours.
