Number plate recognition device to keep eye on crime

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 4

The Jalandhar rural police installed a hi-tech system in Phillaur to help it keep a tab on all incoming and outgoing vehicles past the Jalandhar-Ludhiana route across Sutlej to check crime.

SSP Rural Naveen Singla, sitting at district headquarters in Jalandhar city, 40 kms from the site, has started personally monitoring the movement at the crucial entry and exit points of the city. Explaining the purpose, he said, “We have installed a number plate recognition (NPR) device with which we are keeping a track on all vehicles entering and leaving the city. The automatic system scans the number plates of all vehicles, including cars, two wheelers and trucks and stores the data of the same along with the exact timing of its passage at the naka.”

The SSP added, “Through the system, we can also check as to how many times a particular vehicle crossed the naka in a week or so. The biggest advantage is that if a particular vehicle owner, after committing a crime, passes through the naka, a siren will be blown at the site and our police teams there can immediately chase the vehicle and nab the offender.”

Singla also added that pan and zoom cameras had also been installed at the site which can rotate 360 degree and zoom the videos for more clarity and noting any details. “Our cameras have a good night vision too and will work and report for 24 hours. Besides, we can also zoom in and capture images of the persons there in the suspected vehicles,” said the SSP, who has installed a big screen, high-quality server, PCs and high speed internet in his office here.

Singla said such devices would also soon be installed at other strategic sites in the Jalandhar Rural police area. “Our next point would be installing this device at Gidderpindi near Shahkot, which too is a common point for the criminals to escape and is remotely located from the headquarters. Next, we may use the same technology at Kartarpur on Amritsar highway”, he maintained.