Vars Technology has won national police plaudit for its automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system, designed to protect forecourts from drive-offs.
The equipment has achieved Secured by Design (SBD) recognition – an initiative aimed at helping businesses prevent crime by using police accredited equipment.
Vars Technology, now a member of the SBD scheme, says that its ANPR solution helps users reduce drive-off incidents by as much as 90%, giving instant notifications when a blacklisted vehicle enters a site. This allows staff to avoid drive-offs before they happen by refusing to release the pump for known fuel thieves unless they pay in advance. For drivers intending on stealing fuel, this typically results in them leaving the site to look for an easier target, says the company.
When drive-offs do still happen, Vars Technology pursues offenders to recover the cost of stolen fuel on their behalf.
Vars Technology director John Garnett says: “We have worked extremely hard for the past six years to develop the Vars ANPR system into the market-beating forecourt protection system it is today, so it is great to have that hard work recognised. Forecourt crime has been a hot topic recently, with a consensus that it will take a collective effort from forecourt operators, security providers and police forces to address the issue. If this membership helps us work more closely with police forces, then everyone benefits.”
