Public spaces such as airports, railway stations or stadiums bring together large numbers of people on a quite limited space to use a security-sensitive infrastructure. Electronic security systems may help to provide better and faster security, as well as safety for the general public. Application scenarios may include intrusion detection and monitoring of large crowds in order to provide guidance in case of unexpected events (e.g., a mass panic). However, current security systems used within the public infrastructure are typically expensive, non-trivial to deploy, difficult to operate and maintain, prone to malfunction due to individual component failures, and generally lack citizen privacy-friendliness. The advent of novel, large-scale distributed security systems based on wireless, lightweight sensors may enhance security and safety in public spaces. In this realm, SAFEST is a project aiming at analyzing the social context of area surveillance and developing a system that can fulfill this task, both in terms of technology as well as acceptance by the general public. The targeted system will operate in a distributed way, collect anonymized data, securely transfer this data to a central location for evaluation, and - if necessary - notify the operator or issue alerts directly to the general public. Work on the technical aspects of the system is accompanied by social studies investigating the individual perception of risk and the methods for reaching public acceptance of the technical solutions.