Ricardo Mackenzie, MEC for Mobility in the Western Cape, on Tuesday introduced 31 of 122 brand new BMW high-performance highway patrol vehicles fitted with the latest in innovative technology, such as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.
All 122 vehicles have a collective value of just over R63 million.
The ANPR cameras are interfaced with the National Administration Traffic Information System (NaTIS).
This means each vehicle expands the province-wide network of ANPR cameras, which monitor road traffic and enable the immediate detection of road traffic infringements, contraventions, and habitual traffic transgressors.
Unlike the standard sedans, these specialised vehicles have been converted and optimised for the work of traffic law enforcement on key provincial and national roads, the department says.
Tuesday’s launch took place on the N1 near the Huguenot Toll Plaza, close to Paarl.
In his remarks Mackenzie commended the officers for an arrest already made on the morning of the launch.
“We did not buy these vehicles for us to look nice,” he said. “We bought it so that our roads can become safe. People are using excessive speed on our roads. You cannot chase and arrest someone with a Polo doing 170 km/h. These vehicles have been fitted with the best technology money can buy.
“As you may know there are more people moving to the Western Cape with different driving behaviours than we have here. The best way to deal with them is to use technology and catch them as they enter the province and operate on our roads.”
The MEC told Paarl Post the 122 BMWs were bought for R518 000 each. He, however, said there is still a need for more vehicles.
“The Western Cape is growing at an alarming rate. I was in another area last week where the Mayor told me they just approved a building plan for 1 400 brand new houses.
“Many of these houses will go to people from other provinces. That essentially means we will need to allocate more traffic officer and those officers will need more vehicles.”
Desmond Paton, West Coast regional traffic director, also attended the launch and highlighted the need for officers to be equipped with the best possible resources.
“We are here to serve the public and ensure our roads are safe. We want to prevent crashes, injury and death. We need this equipment. The technologies inside of these vehicles are state of the art. These vehicles are a godsend to us and will perform a vital role in achieving our aims.”
Daan van Leeuwen Boomkamp, chairperson of the Drakenstein Farm Watch, has welcomed the rolling out for these vehicles, highlighting that they are needed at municipal-level as well.
“Yes, this is good news for provincial traffic officer,” he said. “However, we need our municipal law-enforcement vehicles to also be equipped with this kind of technology.
“Technology is fast advancing and we need to move with time. Our municipality and police should really be encouraged to come on-board and use these technological developments to their benefit.”
According to the mobility department the ANPR cameras will assist in detecting unroadworthy and unlicensed vehicles, cloned number plates, fatigued drivers, and vehicles flagged by the South African Police Service as suspected of being used in the execution of crimes.
Instant alerts are sent to the in-vehicle on-board device and the officers’ mobile device to enable rapid response and interception when required.
Another innovation is the integration of push-to-talk software, enabling seamless two-way communication.
The push-to-talk solution seamlessly integrates with the existing in-vehicle technology, elevating communication capabilities and forming the foundation for potential integration with other role players such as emergency, medical, and disaster management services.
