Warning To Drivers: That CCTV May Put You In Jail or Have Your Car Impounded

This is a warning to all drivers in Lagos that are always in a hurry to break the traffic rules, your days of reckoning are coming and it's coming very very fast.

A driver got a message from the Lagos VIS that he broke the traffic rules and as a first-time offender, he was billed for 30,000 naira. That sounds strange, many questions like how are they able to track him, how did they know he didn't wait for the traffic light, how come they were able to know and get his details, all these and more we shall dissect shortly.

This is the format of the SMS they sent across...

Your vehicle (plate number) committed a TRAFFIC OFFENCE with bill no xxxxxx. Visit VIS HQ Alausa within 7 days to avoid impoundment".

In 2017/2018, The Lagos State Government decided to go digital in the handling of its traffic management, they took a step by upgrading and their vehicle inspection facilities across the state, they went and understudy a system in the UK called the ANPR. The mechanism displayed is the Automatic Number Plate Recognition. An ANPR is a CCTV camera that can send a driver back to its village if such is not careful.

According to Wikipedia, an ANPR Machine can be used to store the images captured by the cameras as well as the text from the license plate, with some configurable to store a photograph of the driver.
The systems commonly use infrared lighting to allow the camera to take the picture at any time of day or night, with the ANPR technology taking into account plate numbering variations from place to place.

The machine put in place is called the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and it comes in the form of a CCTV. To the drivers, it's just an ordinary CCTV but to the government, it's a tracking device which helps to track and trail any defaulters.

Let's see how this ANPR works for public enlightenment. According to police.uk, An Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology is used to help detect, deter and disrupt criminality at a local, force, regional and national level, including tackling travelling criminals, Organised Crime Groups and terrorists. ANPR provides lines of enquiry and evidence in the investigation of crime and is used by law enforcement agencies. It may be safe to say that it works alone without supervision on a 24/7 working mode. That means that CCTV at Apapa, Ikoyi, VI, Ikeja may just be an ANPR just waiting for you to cross the line.

How it works

Gone are those days when VIO officials will be running after your car, this time, you hand over your self to the government official.

As a vehicle passes an ANPR camera, its registration number is read and instantly checked against database records of vehicles of interest. Police officers can intercept and stop a vehicle, check it for evidence and, where necessary, make arrests. A record for all vehicles passing by a camera is stored, including those for vehicles that are not known to be of interest at the time of the read that may in appropriate circumstances be accessed for investigative purposes. The use of ANPR in this way has proved to be important in the detection of many offences, including locating stolen vehicles, tackling uninsured vehicle use and solving cases of terrorism, major and organized crime. It also allows officers’ attention to be drawn to offending vehicles whilst allowing law-abiding drivers to go about their business unhindered.

We noticed that some of these ANPR cameras are already installed across some strategic spots in Lagos but the VIS/LASG are not telling us where they are, all they do is stand at a data collection point and see things from afar. But we have it on a good note there is one in Ikeja precisely close to Alausa Sect/Shoprite Mall, there is one too at Ikoyi and VI respectively.

How offenders are caught

When a driver breaks any traffic rule and the ANPR automatically capture your license plate, it sends it to the database where your information is. For example, if a driver of LASG-02 breaks the traffic code, the camera scans and picks the details with pictorial evidence, sends to the admin, the admin do a search on this plate number base on the information you use when registering or renewing any of your particulars, most times they are verified which makes it easier for them to easily append you.

These are some of the images if the ANPR cameras we got for you when they are undergoing training in Lagos late last year.

Images Courtesy:
Soft Alliance

There Are 282 Cameras Monitoring Vehicles In Lagos Metropolis - VIS Head Of Planning And Research

Sequel to the story we did earlier in the ANPR camera in Lagos, the VIS head of planning and research has this to say on the VIS cameras in Lagos.

Contrary to the stories making the rounds that a camera device located at Alausa Secretariat capturing vehicles with expired fake documents and sending bills to people SMS, an official of Vehicle Institution Service VIS, Lagos State, Engr Olayemi disclosed that there are 282 of such mechanical device installed in many major roads within the metropolis and not in Alausa, Secretariat, Ikeja, alone.

He said the device is called Automatic Number Plate Recognition Device (ANPR) or Number Plate Detector for short.

According to the Head of Planning and Research of VIS, the device only captures the vehicle's number plate and send it to Motor Vehicle License data bank, Insurance Company data bank and Road Worthiness data bank, from where it detects if these documents are genuine or have expired.

When these documents have expired or are fake the device generates a bill and send it to the vehicle's owner phone through SMS.

He said for every infringement committed a bill of N20,000 is generated. A person who defaults in all the three documents will get a bill of N60,000.00.

He went further to say that the device which he is personally monitoring from his own office has captured 276, 284 vehicles number plate out of which 7,135 owners have been billed fines ranging from N20,000 to N60,000, since December 2018, when they commenced full fledge operation.

He confirmed that many prominent Lagosians including commissioners, lawmakers and senior state government officials have been booked and have quietly paid their bills.

A vehicle owner who refused to pay the fine within seven days stipulated in the SMS sent to his phone will have his vehicle blacklisted. Meaning the vehicle will be declared wanted. Wherever such a vehicle is caught by the device again, officials of VIS in such area will be instructed to impound the vehicle.

He agreed that VIO is back on the road not to check particulars but to arrest rickety vehicles or those with overload which the new device cannot capture.

See samples of the bill they sent to drivers

ANPR Cameras In Lagos: These Are All You Need To Know - Exclusive Images

It is no news that the Lagos State Govt has deployed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) for use at the Ikeja axis for those that violate a traffic law, confirming this, a lady tweeted this and warning all motor users to be wary of Ikeja axis.

The location of this camera still remain sketchy as LASG decided to keep mute on its location but feelers are saying the cameras are installed close to Alausa secretariat and some other parts of the state. Gone are the days, when VIOs chase vehicles around the streets, these cameras are set to replace the VIOs and hold every driver accountable for his/her offenses.

Automatic number plate recognition according to Wikipedia can be used to store the images captured by the cameras as well as the text from the license plate, with some configurable to store a photograph of the driver.

The systems commonly use infrared lighting to allow the camera to take the picture at any time of day or night, with the ANPR technology taking into account plate numbering variations from place to place.

The machine put in place is called the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and it comes in form of a CCTV. To the drivers, its just an ordinary CCTV but to the government, its a tracking device which helps to track and trail any defaulters.

Let's see how this ANPR works for public enlightenment. According to police.uk, An Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology is used to help detect, deter and disrupt criminality at a local, force, regional and national level, including tackling travelling criminals, Organised Crime Groups and terrorists. ANPR provides lines of enquiry and evidence in the investigation of crime and is used by law enforcement agencies. It may be safe to say that it works alone without supervision on a 24/7 working mode.

How it works

As a vehicle passes an ANPR camera, its registration number is read and instantly checked against database records of vehicles of interest. Police officers can intercept and stop a vehicle, check it for evidence and, where necessary, make arrests. A record for all vehicles passing by a camera is stored, including those for vehicles that are not known to be of interest at the time of the read that may in appropriate circumstances be accessed for investigative purposes. The use of ANPR in this way has proved to be important in the detection of many offences, including locating stolen vehicles, tackling uninsured vehicle use and solving cases of terrorism, major and organised crime. It also allows officers’ attention to be drawn to offending vehicles whilst allowing law abiding drivers to go about their business unhindered.

Retention and access to stored data

ANPR cameras from police forces submit copies of vehicle registration marks to the National ANPR Data Centre (NADC) daily. ANPR data from each police force is stored together with similar data from other forces for a period of two years.

We have clear rules to control access to ANPR data to ensure that access is for legitimate investigation purposes. Members of staff only have access to ANPR data if it is relevant to their role and the majority of those who have permission may only do so for a maximum period of 90 days from the date it was collected. Some staff are authorised to access data for up to 2 years subject to authorisation of a senior officer.

Searches of ANPR data can confirm whether vehicles associated with a known criminal has been in the area at the time of a crime and can dramatically speed up investigations.

In a series of an investigation made by AutoReportNG and some insiders, findings show us that Soft Alliance is responsible for the software, upgrade and installation of the CCTVs in Lagos and we are just lucky enough to have the images when they did the training and test run with the VIS, Lagos.

See the exclusive images courtesy of Soft Alliance.

Images Courtesy:
Soft Alliance