Guide to ANPR Systems

Guide to ANPR Systems

Like many other areas of technology, perimeter security has seen huge advances in recent years and many technologies that were once the preserve of those with outlandish budgets are now becoming economical choices for a whole plethora of business owners. One of those advancements comes in the form of ANPR – or Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

What is ANPR?

Automatic Number Plate Recognition devices are mass surveillance devices that perform optical character recognition on images to decipher license plates.

First introduced in the 1980s to assist police forces with road traffic management, these devices are now commonly used across commercial industries to verify credentials, monitor suspicious activity, and log incidents.

The adoption of this new technology in the private sector is increasing as businesses look for ways to facilitate free-flowing movement without compromising their own security protocols.

How does ANPR work?

If used correctly, ANPR is positioned at key locations on a business’s premises. It is then able to use sensors to detect when a vehicle passes these checkpoints and trigger a snapshot of that vehicle’s number plate. This number plate can then be crosschecked with a database to identify the vehicle and the driver or log how long a vehicle has been on site.

How can ANPR benefit businesses?

Automatic number plate recognition systems can serve many purposes for businesses. First of all, they represent a huge deterrent to would-be criminals. If a criminal is known to the police or blacklisted on a database then the presence of these systems means that they are likely to avoid your premises. Equally, opportunistic criminals may be deterred by the fact that they could be easily identified and face prosecution in the future, should they commit a crime.

ANPR can be used in other ways too. It can be used as a traffic management tool, allowing or preventing specific vehicles into an area of your site, monitoring how long a vehicle has stayed in your site or allowing them to leave premises only if they have paid a surcharge.

Where the latest tech can often present a price barrier to businesses. ANPR can prove to be highly economical. Not only can it prevent the risk of costly criminal activity, but it can also reduce the need for manned guarding or reception staff as you can automatically whitelist specific vehicles to provide them entry to your premises.

ANPR systems are suited to a wide variety of industries and are commonly seen at shopping centres, car parks, petrol stations, schools, and industrial and warehousing sites.

accessGUARDIAN

Gateway Automation offers ANPR systems which are accompanied by accessGUARDIAN. This provides business owners with access to a specialist server holding crucial details of white-listed or blacklisted vehicles.

It enables them to fully control their automatic barrier and decide who can enter or leave their site. They also provide traffic monitoring services through eyeTRAFFIC – allowing users to search records of up to 25,000 registration entries by date time and location, along with access to high-resolution photos of vehicles.

Get in touch

No matter the size or nature of your business, we can provide you with a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess the security requirements of your organisation.

For more information on any of the security options above, or for further advice on how to protect your business premises from criminals, please contact us here or call us on 01522 682 255.

How to choose Perimeter Security to fit your budget

How to choose Perimeter Security to fit your budget

At this time of the year, many business owners are wisely spending their downtime considering their moves for the year ahead. While the end of the year always presents ample opportunity to forward-plan, it can be especially prudent considering the current economic state of play.

It’s well known that crime figures rise in tandem with economic periods of fragility, and therefore businesses should pay close attention to their security protocols to stay lean and agile. However, it is important to choose your tools wisely, to afford unnecessary costs.

Here we will take a look at the best way for business owners to safeguard themselves from crime, without breaking the bank.

1 – Think of the bigger picture

Time and time again we speak to businesses who have fallen foul of flashy and expensive security systems that look impressive but don’t do what they need them to do. Rather than relying solely on one type of tool – for instance CCTV – businesses should think about the big picture. A CCTV system is great at recording crime, but you should aim to stop it in its tracks. Tools like gates, turnstiles and automatic barriers can help you do just that.

2 – Begin with a risk assessment

Before rushing into any rash or expensive decisions, you should seek out a thorough review of your needs with the help of a perimeter security provider. A good facilitator should take into account several different factors. For example:

  • How does your business operate?
  • What industry-specific needs do you have?
  • Are there any geographic or business constraints to consider?
  • What threats does your business face?
  • Are you vulnerable right now?

These are just a few examples of the types of questions that need to be considered in a full and thorough risk assessment.

3 – Consider the long-term benefits

It is important to pay a fair price for your chosen security tools. There are many businesses out there that will charge far more than the appropriate value and are happy enough to recommend the wrong products. However, beyond the immediate costs, you should think about how those products could save you money too.

For example, while a tool like an automatic barrier might represent a higher cost than a manual one, it may also reduce the need for you to operate the barrier yourself, or pay manned guards to do so.

Access control equipment like fobs, keypads or even automatic number plate recognition can be used to grant entry and save on your personal costs.

4 – Breakdown cover

As well as the obvious upfront costs, you should also be wary of hidden costs that may arise such as in the event of damage to your tools.

Imagine the scenario – a heavy-duty goods vehicle has skidded on ice and damaged your security gates. You’re due to close for the Christmas period and you find yourself unable to secure a technician who has the parts required to repair your gate. Not only could your festive plans be scuppered, but you could also be leaving your business open to criminal threats while you are away.

This is why it is important to choose a provider who can both repair and replace parts easily should the situation arise.

5 – Don’t cut corners

Never cut corners when it comes to perimeter security. Choose experienced providers with plenty of feedback and reviews online. This can ensure that you not only receive a good quality product but that it is installed to a high standard and won’t let you down in the future.

The solution

Whether your business runs from small retail premises or a large industrial site, Here at Gateway Automation we can provide you with a free, no-obligation risk assessment, feasibility survey, and quotation to assess your perimeter security requirements.

We have over 40 years of combined experience and expertise and can also provide a nationwide reactive callout service with engineer response times of 8 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days. We supply spares and parts for all manufacturers’ equipment means that any problems can be dealt with quickly. Please contact us on 01522 682255 for more information.