Greater Manchester Police are to crack down on vehicle crime through the use of ADPRO video surveillance technology from Vision Systems Europe. The system, combined with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and wireless communications from Motorola, are being used by the force for the first time.
Bury Council has piloted the scheme, targeting one of the busiest car parks in their district. As a vehicle enters the site, its license plate is read and compared automatically to a stolen vehicle and intelligence database, which has been regularly updated for the pilot by the Greater Manchester Police. If the car is identified as stolen, video images of the vehicle and the driver are captured via the ADPRO FastTrace along with specific details such as the time and date of capture.
A single infra-red ANPR camera is connected to an ADPRO FastTrace, incorporating ADPRO Transaction software, that is in turn integrated with the ANPR technology. A standard Pelco PTZ camera also provides overview coverage of the area, and images from both are transmitted by wireless Motorola Canopy to the control room five miles away.
The control room is equipped with ADPRO Video Central software that enables staff to search and review details of any and all cars captured together with the associated video footage. A police officer can then be alerted and wait to arrest the driver as soon as they return to the vehicle.
Ged McGee, Head of Community Safety at Bury Council, said he was delighted with how the innovative pilot has gone. “To our best knowledge this is the first time that these different technologies have been brought together and deployed with such success,” he said.
McGee added: “More than 200,000 vehicles were captured on camera, and the pilot has been helping Greater Manchester Police to review how such technology can help them in the future.”
The ADPRO FastTrace is designed especially for a diverse range of high security, multiple site industries that require centralised security and surveillance management, such as banks, utilities, telecoms and transportation.
Vision Systems Europe believe the success of their products lies in their suitability to a range of markets, including transportation, retail, government, utilities and education.
