Microdot technology helps police recover stolen vehicles in SA.
So says Derek Menday, sales director of microdot technology provider, DataDot, who notes that, since 2007, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has achieved a minimum 50% recovery rate of stolen vehicles with the use of DataDot microdotting.
For Menday, this indicates that microdots can serve as a powerful deterrent against vehicle crime.
On 1 September 2012, SA introduced the National Standard SANS534-1 and Regulation 56, which requires that all new vehicles be fitted with microdot technology. In addition, re-registered vehicles are required to be microdotted before a police clearance certificate is issued.
"If you are buying a new vehicle that has been registered after 1 September 2012, microdots have been fitted to that vehicle at the manufacturer as standard equipment and are included in the sales price and will not reflect as a separate cost," Menday explains.
"If you would like to have microdots fitted to an older vehicle; DataDot supports a price of R530 including VAT. There are no monthly payments and no registration of microdots - everything is taken care of at fitment."
The microdotting system is simple, he notes. About 10 000 tiny, disc-shaped microdots, typically 1mm in diameter, are sprayed onto the vehicle, mixed in a special adhesive, which is colourless when dry but fluoresces under ultra-violet light.
Menday points out that about 3 000 of these smart dots are sprayed in places where the police know to look for them or for traces of the fluorescent glue (or for signs of attempted removal). The other 7 000 are applied to selected covert places all over the vehicle.
"Each of these dots, when viewed under a pocket microscope, will clearly show the vehicle's 17-digit VIN, repeated several times in a pattern. Underpinning this is scarce and expensive technology, patented and regulated, which criminals will not have easy access to."
According to Menday, this identification tech makes a vehicle carrying a microdot warning sticker very unattractive to those looking to steal cars.
Instead of quickly destroying or altering a few pieces of incriminating evidence, the middleman now has to get rid of 10 000 pieces of irrefutable evidence, some of them hidden in unexpected places, he adds.
"In addition to preventing car theft, microdot technology is also a huge help in police investigations, often providing an early breakthrough by facilitating easy identification of recovered vehicles," Menday says. "Consumers are welcome to contact us if they have any questions, and the Microdot Association of Southern Africa is also available to handle concerns from the public regarding service quality issues."
Recently, there have been reports of illegal service providers offering microdotting from the boots of their cars, putting consumers at risk of being defrauded, says Menday, noting that motorists seek the services of illegal suppliers mainly due to a lack of knowledge of legitimate microdot suppliers and also because they want a "quick fix".
"The end result will not be reliable, and the irony is that, usually, it's not even cheaper. The suppliers give the customer fraudulent certificates to present to the police, so choosing a reputable fitment centre is, by far, the preferable option," says Menday.
"Consumers should be wary of any business conducted on the side of the road without premises. In most cases, these illegal fitments are the same price as a legitimate fitment. Microdot fitment, like any fitment of a device to a vehicle, must take place at a fitment centre within a controlled environment. Fitment of microdots at an accredited fitment centre will take between 14 and 20 minutes in total," he says.
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