Chinese AI-enabled equipment can help police assess the physical health, mental state, and even risk level of suspects, according to demonstrations at a law enforcement equipment exhibition in Beijing last week.

Chinese firms presenting their latest biometric devices at the international police and anti-terrorism technology expo said they could reduce manpower requirements for a police force and improve efficiency amid a shortage of frontline officers.

The three-day exhibit which ended on Saturday aimed to show police both inside and outside China the latest law enforcement equipment on the market. On the sidelines of the expo, Indonesia expressed an interest in Chinese equipment, particularly counterterrorism gear.

Among the displays was a camera developed by video surveillance supplier Tiandy, based in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, which is designed to assess the vital signs – including heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen level and blood flow rate – of up to six people at a time, according to a presentation by the company.

It generated results from subjects standing in front of the camera for about 10 seconds, results that Tiandy said were more than 90 per cent accurate. In the demonstration, the participants’ vital signs were shown on a screen alongside their live images, with increased blood pressure, heart rate or other abnormal indicators highlighted in yellow or red.

The company said the product was best employed in an interrogation waiting area where four cameras could capture the vital signs of two dozen people.

Tiandy said the technology could track detainees’ live location and warn of a sudden medical crisis. It could also flag irregular policing behaviour that breached protocols, such as leaving a detainee unattended or interrogating a subject with only one officer present.