After eblockwatch announced plans to use their smart technology to catch criminals, they have started using it in practice to test.
The technology dubbed Snakes and Ladders by eblockwatch founder and Bryanston resident, Andre Snyman said the aim is to create hotspots where people are continuously caught breaking the rules of the road.
This forms as part of this weeks edition of How Secure Are You? An online and print security feature in partnership with the Sandton Chronicle and eblockwatch.
Snyman said they have done four operations to date with the Metro police. He said the purpose of these operations are so they can understand the reality of the situations. “Many times solutions are based on theory but in reality, they don’t work. It is important to understand the dynamics of the situation.”
Snyman said that during these operations, watching the taxi drivers operate compared to normal drivers, there are two different cultures. “Not one taxi driver adhered to the rules of the road and it is understandable.”
He said that life for taxi drivers is very competitive and if they had to stay in the correct lane they would soon go bankrupt.
The app which eblockwatch is developing will be phased in so that they do not have an outright war between taxi drivers and motorists. “It must also keep the drivers safe by keeping the identity of those who snake the drivers away from the perpetrator.”
He said the first step is for motorists to download the app. Through this, they can create heat maps of where motorists experience dangerous drivers. “They will press the snake icon, which will drop a pin into a map. The more pins will assist eblockwatch in setting up LPR cameras to record and profile dangerous drivers.”
He said that motorists will also be able to award drivers with ladders for their good behaviour.
Snyman concluded that armed with this information, and with the Metro police, they will go to these spots and catch those profiled drivers breaking the law. “That incident will have the driver arrested and a case will be fortified with all the incidents previously committed.”
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