Technology gets 50 cars suspended

NATIS MOBILE, the pilot project that equips Police officers with laptops connected to the NaTIS database via a wireless Internet connection, is already bearing fruit.

More than 50 unregistered cars have been suspended and one stolen vehicle has been impounded at Katima Mulilo, just before its driver could leave the country.
‘So far, the pilot project is working very well. Without the technology, we would not be able to verify the information as fast as we are now able to,’ says Felix Wazapi Tjozongoro, NaTIS Manager for Transport Information and Agents.
‘The only hiccup that we have experienced so far is in low network coverage areas. Because we are using 3G wireless technology, the connection is much slower in places where the network isn’t strong, but in the towns, where the network is better, it is much faster.’
The mini laptops have already demonstrated how technology can ease the heavy task of law enforcement in a simple way.
The process? The Police officer simply enters a vehicle’s number plate details into the system.
Through access to the NaTIS database, the officer gets information on the specific type of car and a description of it, along with other details on the car’s registration and status.
So, without even having to stop your car, a traffic officer driving behind you can easily check the NaTIS status of your car and whether the number plate matches the description of the car body.
Any non-corresponding information, and you’re immediately pulled over for further checks, such as the chassis number or vehicle identification code.
In the case of a stolen vehicle, the Police’s Motor Vehicle Theft Unit is also called in.
The Namibian on Tuesday afternoon witnessed an exercise along Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako Drive, where, in the space of an hour, three cars were suspended for being on the road illegally.
These included one that had been deregistered as it had failed a road-worthiness test, one with discrepancies between the colour of the vehicle and the information in the NaTIS system, and the third had a suspended licence plate.
Asked what penalties drivers could expect if found to be driving a car illegally, Tjonzongoro said the fines could amount to N$300.
‘That is, apart from the possible removal of the licence disk or possibly having a car impounded,’ he added.
Under the pilot project, approximately 14 laptop computers are being used in various parts of the country, especially at roadblocks and border control points.
In the future, it is expected that the NaTIS database could be linked to information from the Namibian Police, such as traffic fines.
Other technological advances that can be applied to the work of NaTIS and the Namibian Police are also being explored.
In the meantime, this tech-savvy addition to traffic law enforcement will no doubt make our roads a little safer during the festive season and beyond.

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