ANPR camera adds intelligence to Amanzimtoti crime fighting efforts

Criminals have been warned that crime will be detected and justice will be swift following the installation of a brand new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera in Amanzimtoti recently.
Blue Security operations director Brian Jackson said the new camera – the company’s first of several planned investments in the advanced technology in the suburb – will serve as a valuable crime intelligence tool for police and the security company to bring wanted criminals to book.
Jackson said the company had analysed the traffic flows in the area to determine the most effective position for the ANPR camera, which had been located at a strategic point to monitor passing traffic. The camera will detect any stolen and hijacked vehicles and instantly alert the police and the security company.
“Amanzimtoti is a large suburban area with residential, resort and business nodes so it was important that the camera be positioned at a strategic point where it could survey maximum traffic flows in and out of the area. Its position will allow the camera to capture a vast amount of intelligence on who is entering and leaving the Amanzimtoti area via this busy route,” Jackson said.
Jackson explained that the ANPR camera is capable, as its name indicates, of instantly capturing the number plates of vehicles passing through the area in order to detect any stolen vehicles or vehicles which have been involved in crimes. The number plates captured are automatically processed through the police data base of listed wanted vehicles which may have been stolen or hijacked, and the security company is alerted in real time to the presence of the vehicle in the area.
The camera software also has capability to store a community database of suspicious local vehicle number plates, such as that of a suspected drug dealer. “We have had an excellent track record of crime fighting using intelligence captured by ANPR cameras, including the arrest of armed robbers and the recovery of a stolen vehicle, since we started using these cameras in other areas. These cameras give law enforcement officers the upper hand to throw the book at anyone caught driving suspicious vehicles,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the company had decided to invest in the camera for the Amanzimtoti community as it created an important additional layer of security to fight crime in the suburb. “We already have a strong local presence with the highest number of armed response vehicles patrolling the suburb, a tactical vehicle and officers who are well known by the community. The addition of the ANPR camera will offer Toti residents a comprehensive proactive solution to fighting crime,” Jackson said.
“The camera technology will ramp up our fight against crime and contribute to making the suburb a no go zone for criminals as it is now far easier for us to gather intelligence for police investigations and to detect known criminals who dare to come into the area.”
Jackson said the camera was the company’s first investment in the technology which it planned to further roll out in the suburb over time.