The battle against crime is a difficult one, and it is never-ending. There are always threats to be handled by law enforcement agents, and those agents need to have as many tools on their side as possible in order to stay safe while protecting the public. One of the best tools that security teams can have on their side is a license plate recognition system (LPR). Tracking the movement of criminals is always a challenge, but using an LPR can make that challenge a little more manageable.
Of course, a reliable license plate recognition system would not be possible without the incredible technology available in our world today. The systems that are on the market today are far more advanced than the early entries in this space, meaning all security teams and law enforcement agencies should carefully consider putting this kind of technology to use. Following are a few of the main advantages of deploying an LPR system.
Crime Deterrent
Rather than catching criminals who have already committed crimes, security teams and agencies would much rather prevent those crimes from occurring in the first place. When cameras are a constant presence in high-risk areas, people will be less-likely to commit crimes as they know it will be harder to get away from police. It is difficult – if not impossible – to hide from something like a license plate recognition system out on the road, meaning criminals will have fewer options when trying to get away. Everyone in the community is happy when crime goes down, and adding cameras is one way to make that happen.
Avoiding Dangerous Situations
The reality of working in security is that there will be times when dangerous criminals need to be confronted and apprehended. While there is nothing that can totally eliminate the risk of that kind of situation, a license plate reader can help to protect officers by informing them as to what they should expect. For instance, if a guard or officer sees that a given license plate is associated with a known violent criminal, that person could bring in backup before confronting the suspect. Information is an officer’s best friend out in the field, and there are few ways quite as effective as reading license plates for gathering information on-the-go.
Collecting Data
There is a cumulative effect to using an LPR system which can be highly beneficial over time for a large businesses and law enforcement agencies. As the cameras are used and the database grows, there will be more and more information collected about the community as a whole. Officers on patrol will have a better chance of gathering information on a potential suspect because of all of the information that has been gathered by the LPR over the years.
Adding an LPR system to enhance business security offers an incredible number of benefits – and all of those benefits in one way or another will improve the safety of both security guards and the public in general. It is in everyone’s best interest to limit crime and catch criminals, and a good LPR system will make it easier to achieve both of those goals.
