Biometrics tracks street kids

Johannesburg, 01 Jul 2004

A Western Cape biometrics project aims to register and track street children as part of a social services project.

The project was instituted by the Provincial Administration of the Western Cape (PAWC) in response to complaints made by politician Patricia de Lille, who raised questions about why street children who had been arrested for misdemeanours were being held in adult prisons.

Since no reliable information about these children existed, the PAWC called for tenders for the implementation of a social management system.

Cape-based Biometrics.co.za was awarded the tender and has since installed its biometrics devices in a number of institutions - including the magistrates` court - in the region.

"Basically the system uses a fingerprint scanner to identify the children and, through its comprehensive database, assists the police in arranging for them to be sent to places of safety, rather than prison," says Peter Scholtz, CTO of Biometrics.co.za.

"It is also allied to a Webcam to ensure correct identification through visual means as well, and the system provides immense social benefits for the region."

He says that although the project has been under way for sometime and is already in operation in certain areas, the company expects a major roll-out to take place next year.

"These types of projects are always long-term ones, meaning that the roll-out will be slow and steady, but we are hoping that once it has proven itself, we will see it adopted on a nationwide basis," says Scholtz.