Skip to main content

New hand-held technology to bolster traffic enforcement in South Africa

Provincial Traffic Officers in South Africa have been issued with new hand-held devices by the Department of Transport and Public Works as a fast, information-verifying tool that will assist enforcement. These devices have been entirely developed and tested over the past two years by the Department and will be in operation across the Western Cape; a first of its kind in South Africa.
December 22, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

Provincial Traffic Officers in South Africa have been issued with new hand-held devices by the Department of Transport and Public Works as a fast, information-verifying tool that will assist enforcement.

These devices have been entirely developed and tested over the past two years by the Department and will be in operation across the Western Cape; a first of its kind in South Africa.

The devices allow traffic officers real-time access to the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera system, which is linked to the eNaTIS database where all vehicle and driver information is stored.

The cameras read  the number plate of a passing vehicle, immediately relaying details of that vehicle’s make, class, registration status, roadworthy status, offences, warrants, and ownership to a central back office. This information can then immediately be relayed via a 3G link back to traffic officers in the field, positioned close to the ANPR, allowing them to stop a vehicle that has been flagged by the device for having offences attached to it.

The device also allows traffic officers to scan and read vehicle licence discs and drivers licences to verify their authenticity, as well as to pull information relating to past offences and possible warrants of arrest.

The system will also serve as an information gathering tool for traffic management component, assisting the Department to plan resource deployment better in areas where it is needed most.

Related Content

  • November 17, 2014
    Kenya to introduce microchip-fitted number plates
    Shem Oirere looks at Kenya’s plans to introduce a new generation of vehicle registration plates fitted with microchip technology by the end of this year. In a move to improve driving standards and prevent fraud, the authorities in Kenya are planning the introduction of a new numberplate system which will incorporate microchip technology.
  • October 7, 2013
    ANPR shockwaves emanate from Royston ruling
    Colin Sowman looks at how a ruling regarding ANPR cameras in a small English town could have wide-reaching implications. Superficially it was an easy decision: the local council and traders wanted, and were prepared to fund, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras installed to deter crime in Royston, a small town (population 17,000) in rural England.
  • December 22, 2020
    Bosnia police go ahead with Tattile
    Vega units will help control speed violations in Sarajevo
  • February 2, 2012
    ANPR developments in the Spanish market
    Gonzalo García Palacios, R&D engineer with Quality Information Systems, writes about ANPR developments in the Spanish market In an increasing number of countries, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems are a growing market. They have become a fundamental part of many ITS systems, whether publicly or privately owned, and essential to any user which looks seriously to give the best services to its customers or wants to improve its facilities' performance.