_thumb.jpg)
It's tickets for OR Tambo's vehicle thieves
The licence plate recognition system at OR Tambo International Airport has ensured that not a single vehicle has been stolen from the parking lots in five years.
"Some guy tried to steal a car here by trying to bypass the gripper system, but he was caught," said airport security head Jason Tshabalala.
In the past, access was controlled by a guard releasing a chain at the exit or entrance, and at least 10 cars a day were being stolen.
The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) spent R2.6-million upgrading its boom-gate technology and changed to the electronic licence plate recognition system, complete with cameras and dual gripper systems (the spikes that run across the entrance and exit areas).
Tshabalala said the system made it impossible for anyone to drive out of the parking bay with a car that was not theirs.
He said that as soon as motorists pressed a button for a ticket at the entrance to the parking, the system kicked in.
Next to the ticket dispenser was a silver, pole-like structure that contained a small camera. Tshabalala added it was not easy to notice it, but it took a picture of motorists' faces.
Right in front of the car and beyond the boom was another camera that captured the vehicle's registration number. This number was then printed on a ticket, he said.
When the motorist left the parking lot, the ticket they inserted into the machine would have all their details, including their car's registration number.
This meant that if the details on the ticket were correct, the boom would lift and the spikes recede.
If a driver indicated that he or she had a problem, a security guard would escort the person to the security officer, who would check his or her identity.
The person's identity would be confirmed by the image recorded at the entrance to the parking area.
According to Tshabalala, the motorist's face would be compared with the person's who had claimed to have lost his ticket.
If it was a different face, the police would be called.
Tshabalala said the system was so good that no one could claim they had lost their parking ticket and expect to be directed to "their" car and drive off with it.
The system costs R500 000 a year to maintain, while a further R800 000 a year is spent on airport security.
In the past, access was controlled by a guard releasing a chain at the exit or entrance, and at least 10 cars a day were being stolen.
The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) spent R2.6-million upgrading its boom-gate technology and changed to the electronic licence plate recognition system, complete with cameras and dual gripper systems (the spikes that run across the entrance and exit areas).
Tshabalala said the system made it impossible for anyone to drive out of the parking bay with a car that was not theirs.
He said that as soon as motorists pressed a button for a ticket at the entrance to the parking, the system kicked in.
Next to the ticket dispenser was a silver, pole-like structure that contained a small camera. Tshabalala added it was not easy to notice it, but it took a picture of motorists' faces.
Right in front of the car and beyond the boom was another camera that captured the vehicle's registration number. This number was then printed on a ticket, he said.
When the motorist left the parking lot, the ticket they inserted into the machine would have all their details, including their car's registration number.
This meant that if the details on the ticket were correct, the boom would lift and the spikes recede.
If a driver indicated that he or she had a problem, a security guard would escort the person to the security officer, who would check his or her identity.
The person's identity would be confirmed by the image recorded at the entrance to the parking area.
According to Tshabalala, the motorist's face would be compared with the person's who had claimed to have lost his ticket.
If it was a different face, the police would be called.
Tshabalala said the system was so good that no one could claim they had lost their parking ticket and expect to be directed to "their" car and drive off with it.
The system costs R500 000 a year to maintain, while a further R800 000 a year is spent on airport security.
Comments
There are no comments yet for this item
Join the discussion