Newcomer security firm NexPlate has been granted the ability to digitally request records from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency following drive-off and delinquent no-means-of-payment incidents.
The challenger firm emerged on the scene last summer, offering forecourt operators a more affordable alternative to traditional ANPR systems.
Now, when site staff report fuel theft via NexPlate’s touchscreen, the company can digitally submit number plates and electronically request driver details from DVLA’s Keeper at Date of Event (KADOE) database ahead of initiating debt-recovery processes. This bypasses the need to make time-consuming and expensive paper-based postal applications to DVLA.
The accreditation process to make KADOE requests is managed by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Police CPI), which checks if a firm has the “assurance and audit processes to ensure that vehicle keeper data is protected and is utilised fairly and proportionately in accordance with UK data protection legislation”.
In October last year BOSS (British Oil Security Syndicate) became the first fuel-debt-recovery agency do be granted KADOE accreditation, with Vars Technology following suit in November. Just two other firms – Pay My fuel, and Waters & Gate – have access to the facility.
NexPlate differs from traditional security firms in that rather than requiring the installation of standalone ANPR cameras, its software can integrate with sites’ existing CCTV systems to read number plates.
While the firm’s relatively new status means its database of suspicious vehicle registrations is dwarfed by those of more established firms, the cost savings it offers has seen it quietly build up a customer base of forecourt operators.
Yogesh Thangamuthu, NexPlate’s co-founder, described gaining accreditation as ”a significant milestone”, adding that it “reinforces trust” in his firm’s platform, and “demonstrates our long-term commitment to innovation across the forecourt ecosystem”.
