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Vodacom and Samsung created what they called "a next-generation police car" which uses fixed and mobile networks and the latest hardware to support the South African Police Service.
HIGH-TECH SAPS CARS
Each future police car could be fitted with cameras capable of number plate recognition. Connectivity is provided by LTE and 3G technology and information gathered by the cameras could be cross-referenced with databases such as those administered by the Department of Transport and the Department of Home Affairs.
According to Vodacom: "This would dramatically increase the ability of the police to detect criminals and react instantly. The equipment could also be fitted to existing vehicles."
The technology in each car will also make it possible for policeto check ID numbers, driving licences, outstanding road penalties and other information in "a few seconds". Mobile printers would allow officers to issue infringement notices with information automatically populated from databases.
That should, Vodacom says, improve efficiency and reduce the chance of errors.The cars would be able to sending video, voice communication, instant messages and other data to a command centre in real time.
'FOR SOCIAL GOOD'
Vuyani Jarana, chief officer at Vodacom Business, said: “Our key aim is to use mobile technology to address both the social and business challenges facing our customers. The next generation police car is a great example of exactly this – using technology for social good.
Data captured by the hardware will be time-stamped and geo-tagged, helping to increase accountability and making monitoring easier for officers and management alike. All data sent between the vehicles and the control centre will also be encrypted, ensuring security and the command centre would be able to monitor, activate and deactivate remote devices.
The tech could be commercially available early in 2015 and Jarana said similar solutions had been successfully deployed in New Zealand and Italy.
