SDA Protec, installers of integrated electronic security solutions and part of Protec PLC is tackling the issue of security on the forecourt with an installation of its ANPR technology at Sainsbury’s and Esso petrol stations in West Yorkshire and the Midlands.
Last year, crime at petrol stations reportedly cost the industry more than £50m. With the exception of credit card fraud, which accounted for £30m, the biggest single element in this loss was bilking: customers filling up and driving off knowingly or unwittingly without paying, which accounted for £15m. The balance is put down to burglary, vandalism and petty theft. Also of concern, notably to police, is that those drivers departing without paying may well do more serious crime. One of installer SDA Protec’s pilot schemes in Bradford was installed on a forecourt for Sainsbury’s with the specific objective of stopping bilking. In trials, the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system produced on average six alerts per day. That’s six drive-offs a day prevented, with the associated savings in cost. Number plates of all the cars entering the forecourt are captured and the computer identifies the registration number from the picture and checks it against a police data base. If there is a match, an alarm sounds at the kiosk, the screen on the monitor freezes showing the picture, the registration in the database, and the incident the vehicle is known for. All of this happens within two seconds, and before the vehicle has stopped at a pump. The attendant then has the option of not authorising the pump without pre-payment; and/or calling the police. Chief Supt Geoff Dodd says: “The forecourt scheme is primarily a crime reduction tool designed to limit forecourt crime and in particular prevent drivers making off without payment. The knock-on effect is that it will also help in the detection of such crimes and be a valuable source of intelligence to the police. A large number of criminals use vehicles which they hope will not be traced back to them. Many of the vehicles may have stolen number plates, or even be stolen themselves. This will act as an early warning to cashiers to alert them to such vehicles.”
Commenting on its installations, SDA Protec Sales and Marketing Director, Mike Neville said: “In a trial on a further site, the results were particularly interesting. Several cars that had previously refuelled and driven off without paying had returned. When they were confronted, however, they seemed oblivious and/or ashamed of what they had done and promptly paid up. The net result, in an eight-week trial, was £2,000 in additional revenue. The significance was not lost on the client, who had paid only £6,000 for the system to be installed. Within eight weeks he was already well on the way to recovering the cost of the installation! What is important to stress also about this kind of installation is that it goes beyond bilking. Whilst bilking will inevitably be a cornerstone of any such system, the database also holds information which may help to identify stolen number plates or vehicles. Similarly there is, potentially at least, an opportunity to link a vehicle with cheque and credit card fraud, knowing that there may be a propensity towards criminal activity, and therefore alerting the cashier accordingly.”
