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| Prisoner tracking system to be used to stop baby abductions |
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| A system originally designed to keep track of prisoners inside South Africa's prisons has been adapted to prevent babies from being abducted from maternity wards. |
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It has also been modified to keep track of valuable items such as laptop computers, high value goods and miners underground. |
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| Already in use in Johannesburg and Durban Medium A prisons, the radio-based system uses a tag or an armband in the case of humans to track any person or item in real time. |
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| Marius Pels, CEO of Exponªnt, the company who designed and supplied the Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID) to the Department of Correctional Services, said it had proven invaluable in especially the Johannesburg Medium A prison. |
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| "Prisoners can now be tracked any place, any time and the system of dangerous awaiting-trial prisoners swopping identities with inmates wanted on lesser charges can be stopped in its tracks. |
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| Pels said the system, which had been wholly developed and manufactured in South Africa, worked so well that other applications such as tracking babies and high value items had been a logical progression.
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| "Despite the very best efforts of hospital authorities to maintain security within maternity wards, a growing number of babies are abducted each year. With our RFID system a computer keeps track of every baby wearing an RFID armband within the ward. |
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| "Should the baby be moved to an area not authorised by the computer - such as someone trying to take it outside the bounds of the maternity ward - a loud alarm will sound alerting hospital security to the possible abduction in progress," Pels said. |
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Eric Phenya, task team leader for the Department of Corrections inmate tracking system, said the RFID system held great promise.
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| Apart from keeping track of prisoners for security reasons, it also had benefits for prisoners themselves. |
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| In the case of visits, inmates could be presented to their next-of-kin immediately. Bail applications turn-around times would improve as would overall security. |
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| "If soemone is sexually or physically assaulted, we will know exactly who was around at the time of the assault" he said. |
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| Phenya said the R28 - million pilot project started in August 2003 with the design of the system, and involved testing 70 prisoners in Johannesburg and 40 in Durban. |
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| At present, the two prisons had about 12 000 awaiting-trial prisoners. |
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| He said (Correctional Services) were now in the process of completing the actual installation. There were plans to introduce the system nationally, but this would depend on the budget, among other things, he said. |
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| Phenya said it was hoped that the new system would address three major objectives - alleviate chronic overcrowding in South African prisons; improve the turnaround time by presenting the correct person in court for the correct crime; and fulfill broader integrated justice objectives "by not just managing the case, but managing the person". |
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| A huge advantage of the RFID system is the fact that it made provision for fingerprints and photographs which meant the wearer of the bracelet could be positively identified in an instant. |
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