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Licence plate recognition expands

The days of a number plate being merely a mechanism to register vehicles are coming to an end. Now highly sophisticated licence plate technology is putting car plates to far more intelligent use - most commonly to enhance security, communication and convenience - in places such as up-market homes, private schools, golf estates, towns, malls and casinos. To meet this growing need, South African company Visec has developed licence plate recognition technology that runs over Internet protocol (IP).

The technology works by streaming full high-resolution video over wireless connections to record the data from a number plate. The uses for this data are broad; a stolen car can be instantly tracked or the perpetrator of an accident can be traced and caught. The Cape Town suburb of Fish Hoek used Visec to decrease crime by between 50% and 60% (see below) and many other South African towns and suburbs are in the process of following suit.

Gary Scagell, MD of Visec, says there are myriad uses for licence plate technology in addition to the mainstream law enforcement. "Residential estates can use the system to increase the effectiveness of security. When residents drive up to the security entrance or exit, a camera will read their plate, which is pre-programmed into the system, and automatically send an SMS to the owner of the vehicle to obtain verification that the driver is, in fact, the rightful owner. If the SMS is replied to, the boom will open. If not, it will not. So if a car thief has entered the premises and hopes to exit via the boom in a stolen car, he will be trapped and, all going well, detained by security guards or the police."

Gary Scagell, MD of Visec

Scagell says Visec can even go a step further. "A resident can also program a range of triggers to happen at his home when he enters the estate. For example, his garage door can open, house lights can turn on and, for those who really like things easy, the coffee could even start percolating or kettle boiling."

He believes that the developers of residential and golf estates should bear this technology in mind during the planning phase because it is effective and affordable when compared to other security systems and an excellent selling point."

Visec's technology is also in use at a number of private schools, allowing parents to know that their kids are safe because only preregistered plates are given access.

Commercially the sky is the limit, believes Scagell. "Many people do no't know that the highest incidence of car theft is at shopping centres. This technology could help put a stop to that. Shoppers who register for licence plate tracking would have their mall experience fundamentally enhanced. Firstly, when they enter the centre, the system would register their pre-registered plate and send them an SMS greeting, welcoming them and telling them about the specials on offer that day. The type of specials communicated could be tailored to that specific person's taste based on registered data as well as previous shopping habits.

"Then, upon exit, the system would need a reply SMS before letting the vehicle exit the building, a highly effective deterrent for criminals."

Scagell adds by saying that the technology is currently being used in the United States in ways which South Africans should definitely think about. "In the US, take-away diners can order their meals online, register their number plate and when they drive up to the outlet to collect, the system will register the plate and the meal is immediately produced.

"Finally, speed trapping has become a lot more effective with the technology in the US. A licence plate recognition camera records each car's plate at a certain point on the road and then again some time later. If the car reaches the second camera too soon, it was clearly speeding and the vehicle is fined. This would put an abrupt end to motorists slowing down only at speed cameras."

Fishing for plates

Fish Hoek recently became one of the first South African suburbs to use licence plate recognition technology in its fight against crime. Since then, the town has seen crime and traffic offences drop so significantly that the technology is being rolled out in many other suburbs across the city. Installed by Visec, the system has 10 cameras tracking movement along Fish Hoek's main road 24 hours a day, one of which is dedicated to licence plate recognition.

Scagell says the new software replaced an old analogue system which had been in operation in Fish Hoek for three years at maximum capacity. "There was a huge problem with crime on the main road, traffic violations were rife and street kids regularly harassed shoppers."

He says that all this changed when the news spread that high tech cameras were watching their every move. "The technology sends full high resolution streaming video over wireless Internet protocol (IP) directly to a 24 hour control room. The Visec software running in the control room can recognise a licence plate moving at over 100 km per hour under any weather conditions during the day or night, allowing the control room to recognise, capture and detect licence plates in realtime.

Scagell says that three months after the Visec system was installed, there was a significant drop in crime in Fish Hoek. "The taxi problems, which included driving up one-way sections of the road in the wrong direction, had dropped because drivers soon got to know that cameras were watching them.

The project was originally commissioned by Frank Johnson who heads up the Fish Hoek CID (city improvement district) together with the business owners and other players, and local MP Felicity Purchase. The control room and cameras are manned by MACH1 Security 24 hours a day. The project is 100% supported by Fish Hoek SAPS.

Johnson says Fish Hoek had recently been rated as one of Cape Town's three safest suburbs, and Visec had played a key role in this result. "Before the system was installed, the main road was frequented by prostitutes, beggars and street children, but since it has been in operation this has been reduced drastically. We are, in fact, extremely proud of the work we have been able to do in conjunction with Visec and the SAPS."

Captain Riaan Bester of the Fish Hoek police said that crime had declined by 50% to 60% since the installation of the Visec system. "We used to have a huge problem with ATM card swop crime, this has now completely disappeared and cash in transit crime does not happen at all in Fish Hoek anymore. The cameras have made our jobs substantially easier."

Developed by Scagell while he was based in Silicon Valley, California - in conjunction with his partners at Philex Enterprises based in Northridge, Los Angeles - Visec has an excellent track record. "Within 30 days of each installation, we have recorded a 90% success rate in stopping or solving crimes. This is from attempted bank stakeouts for robberies, to vehicle accidents being caught on camera, pickpocketing in malls, shoplifting and vehicle hijackings, and more."

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