Township cameras stand guard

People in the Coromandel are feeling more secure thanks to an initiative involving Police and locals.

Two fixed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras were set up in Pauanui, and one in neighbouring Tairua, after a local campaign raised around $50,000 to buy and install them.

The initiative was suggested by Tairua Constable Richard Jellyman.

“This is a great project which I would recommend to any cop working from a small station,” he says. “These cameras can give us vital information. They’re a great tool for prevention.”

Though the cameras primarily spot stolen vehicles, in a major inquiry police could seek a warrant to search the database for a vehicle of interest.

Richard says police from elsewhere have contacted him to find out more. He is considering a similar initiative in Pukekohe, where he recently transferred.

The cameras are from Nautech Electronics, supplier of electronic equipment to Police and other emergency services. Managing Director Andrew Turner says around 90,000 vehicles a month pass the three Coromandel cameras.

They feed information to a database at Nautech’s East Tamaki premises, linked to Police’s stolen vehicles database. If a listed vehicle is photographed, pictures and information are sent in seconds to nominated
persons, who might be Police or Neighbourhood Watch personnel.

Belinda Muir, of Tairua, who led the fundraising campaign, says people in the area feel more secure thanks to the cameras.

In the four-month trial period there were a number of activations from stolen vehicles or vehicles that had not been reported as recovered. “Either way it proved the system is working well,” says Richard.