The Transfer of Photgraphic Evidence from SME to Network Storage.

So what happens once you have been photographed infringing the speed limit?

Well, at undisclosed intervals, the data that has been recorded on the portable computers attached to the Speed Measuring Equipment (SME) is transferred to network shares within the relevant authorities’ network to enable issuing of infringement notices and viewing of photos when you want to look at the photos at the municipality’s offices like some of us do. This is done by a company called MVS.

We have been told that the transfer takes place to WORM (Write Once Read Many) drives and is immediately shipped off to the relevant Court as evidence and to the SAPO (South African Post Office) who print the infringement notices.

The purpose of a WORM drive in IT practice is to provide access to data in read-only mode, thus securing the data against manipulation and corruption. This is extremely important in the case of law enforcement evidence because any Court would immediately reject data which could be manipulated.  This sounds impressive and above board, but is it all true?

Some of the infringement notices that have come to our attention recently show the identical photograph with different dates, times and fine amounts. If the data is immediately transferred to a WORM drive, this could simply not happen. So how on earth does this happen? We deal with this more thoroughly in the manipulation section.

So, the infringement notice gets printed and sent to you at the address on the eNaTIS system by registered post but before that happens, you will probably find your fine on www.payfine.co.za, who have been appointed by AARTO to process online payments for infringement notices. Interestingly, your infringement notices appear on payfine long before you get your infringement notice in the post – Ah! The wonders of modern technology!

After soiling yourself (if you have a conscience and/or a cash flow problem), you see that if you cough up within 32 days of the date of issue, you get a 50% discount on the fine amount. What a bargain!

But some of us would like to see a picture that shows the number plate of the vehicle in the notice, or indeed a picture at all since payfine.co.za doesn’t show the latest photos for reasons best known to them and/or the municipality involved! 

So off we traipse to the relevant municipality we are referred to by the JMPD and after battling through traffic jams, watching everywhere for spgreed trappers lurking in the bushes, etc. and then battling to get a parking in their car park for half an hour or more, finally get to the viewing room on the third floor and after asking for a print out of the photo, get given this.

As your heart sinks and your guts fall out of the nether reaches, you think to yourself “Oh bugger! They have got me – fair and square. The shame, the shame.” And off you go with your head hanging down and either queue at the JMPD to pay your fine or scoot off to your office or home to quickly use payfine.co.za to pay your fine and get the discount before it expires.

Shame on you! You have just been scammed out of your hard earned cash you twit! And by the cops to boot!

Why do we say this? Well there are so many discrepancies just here that any Public Prosecutor in their right mind would never take this any further for fear of losing their job. There are so many discrepancies in evidence that any Magistrate who found you guilty would also be risking their career and sanction under Judicial Review!

Examine both documents carefully and you will see why.

So, now let’s go back a few steps and look at what happens with image and data precessing.