By Thomas Thale
MOTORISTS take note: Early in the new year, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) will deploy new technology capable of instantly identifying drivers with outstanding warrants, stolen vehicles and immediately transmitting the information to the JMPD control centre.
Called the integrated information management system, the new technology is aimed at producing one comprehensive database for metro police that can be instantly updated and is readily accessible.
Officers on the ground will be able to access data through their cellphones, and relay information to a central command centre.
"For instance," says Derek Masoek, director of operations at the JMPD, "tickets which are issued will immediately reflect on the database, unlike at present, where there is a time lapse between the issuing of tickets and when they are manually loaded."
The new system will also have CCTV capability, enabling the city to extend the reach of CCTV cameras to other parts of the city at no cost to council. Our aim, says Masoek, is to establish a "city wide electronic patrol capability utilising CCTV, speed and robot cameras and other databases to identify, monitor, track and neutralise criminal activities".
A full sitting of council has approved the business plan for the project and authorised the city manager to sign the contract with Too Big Mobile Applications (TMBA), the company that developed the technology, paving the way for the implementation of the system.
Masoek hailed the development as a first of its kind in the country, and a major weapon in the fight against crime. "The robots will be fitted with air fibre technology, capable of checking through the database and identifying stolen or hijacked vehicles. The robots will then instruct other robots ahead to keep track of the vehicle and immediately notify the nearest police station." This telemetric enforcement solution will enable us to tag suspect persons and vehicles for criminal or public record purposes, Masoek added.
The JMPD currently uses seven different systems and software packages which cannot speak to each other, in its various units. Some operations, which are currently manually done, are to be automated.
The new system was developed by TBMA working in conjunction with JMPD. Other bodies that will be involved in the implementation of the system are Vodacom and IBM.
Masoek expects the contractual arrangements to be concluded by the end of January and the phasing in of the system to take place in the first quarter of the year.
The five-year contract will see TBMA pocketing 50% of fines collected. This amount will come down to 40% in the second and third years and then be further reduced to 30% in the last two years of the contract.
According to Masoek, the JMPD had a target of collecting R40-m in the current financial year. This amount was almost tripled as the JMPD collected 118-million. Errant motorists owe the city over an estimated R1-billion, R300-million in outstanding warrants issued between 2000 and 2003.
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