The number plate recognition system, for which successful community fundraising was undertaken before Christmas, has been installed and is functional. This includes a series of cameras on the peninsular. Thanks to Stuart Windross, Craig Maskell and Simon Gould-Thorpe for the concept, installation and technical input. Thanks particularly to our generous local donors who made it happen.
The system records all vehicles entering and exiting the settlement and can store up to 100,000 hi definition images with decoded plate numbers. In the event of an incident we can download and view/search images for vehicles of interest for referral to the police. These records can be cross checked against the ‘Carjam’ data base to double check make/model and plate numbers.
This system will help give residents confidence in maintaining security of their properties year-round and is in response to a series of attempted and successful robberies and thefts in recent years. With a single road in, once word spreads, this will no doubt also provide a significant deterrent to would-be light fingered folk in future.
In the event of a theft or burglary, first notify the police and then provide MERRA with details that may help identify possible vehicles of interest (particularly approximate timings).