Biometric Motor Registration for Nigeria: It Is Real!
Several
times, when there are robberies and cars are snatched, victims of the
vehicles in question don’t run to the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) to
report or seek for redress, but they run to the Police.
On
the other hand, when there are such distress calls, the Police cannot
run to the FRSC for immediate action, hence there is need for the Police
to have its own data readily available and that can be transmitted in
the heat of the moment. That is why the Police desire to have its own
records to assist it in stemming the tide of car snatching and such
other challenges.
This
was the outcome of Saturday Vanguard investigation as to why the
Nigerian Police Force came out with the new Bio-metric Central Motor
Registration (BCMR) policy for car owners in the country which has
elicited outrage across the land with many accusing the force of
duplication and turning into a revenue
generation agency.
While
noting that the work of the FRSC was different from that of the Police,
a source at Force headquarters said, the FRSC regulates vehicle
registration and control while the mission behind the Police policy is
strictly for security purpose and to checkmate crimes using modern
scientific methods.
Explaining
further, Police authorities pointed out that the new biometric
registration processes of vehicles, tricycles and auto-bikes are part of
new strategies meant to combat terrorism; prevent crimes; apprehend and
prosecute offenders, amongst other duties.
The
explanation was made even as the Force disclosed that the new policy is
backed by law under Section 3, Sub-Section 2 to Sub-section 6 of the
Road Traffic Act, Cap 548 and it stipulates that for purposes of data to
checkmate crime, the Police shall be the licensing authority.
Force
Public Relations officer, CSP Frank Mba threw more light thus, “The new
policy is an upgrade and modernization from the old analogue CMR to the
new Digital Biometric Central Motor Registration (BCMR) system.
“The
decision informing the introduction of the BCMR comes against the
backdrop of contemporary security challenges bordering on terrorism,
high incidence of car theft, carjacking, kidnappings and other acts of
crimes and criminality in our society” he said.
“Unlike
our hitherto analogue-based procedures, the BCMR operates on
smart-cards and portable hand-held receiver and is a specially developed
technological means of attaching automobile owner’s unique traits and
personal data to their vehicles for proper identification and protection
purposes”.
The
recent introduction of Digital Biometric Central Motor Registration,
BCMR, by the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, has sparked another controversy.
While some proponents said it is a welcome development and a way of
tracking criminals in the country, opponents insisted that it amounts to
duplication of efforts in view of the fact that several other agencies
have enough Biometric data which can be made available for the use of
the police.
Some
of these documentation with similar biometrics data include the new
driver’s licence by FRSC, the new vehicle plate number; the National
Identity Card; and the Voter’s Registration Card, the international
passport and sim card registration.
Besides,
until this moment, many seem not to fully grasp what the registration
is meant to achieve just as quite a number of motorists do not
understand the new documentation system.
Under
this new arrangement, all vehicles, tricycles and auto-bikes will have
to be registered via the new Digital Biometric Central Motor
Registration (BCMR) system, thereby discarding the old analogue system.
Explaining
the rational behind the introduction of BCMR, the Force Public
Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, CSP Frank Mba, said the digital
registration which commenced last Monday, is aimed at fighting crimes
such as terrorism, kidnapping among others.
He
said: “as part of efforts at repositioning the Nigeria Police Force to
effectively and efficiently fulfil its constitutional roles of saving
lives and property, combating terrorism; preventing crimes; apprehending
and prosecuting offenders, amongst others.”
According
to him, “the decision informing the introduction of the BCMR comes
against the backdrop of contemporary security challenges bordering on
terrorism, high incidence of car theft, carjacking, kidnappings and
other acts of crimes and criminalities in our society.
Unlike
our hitherto analogue based procedures, the BCMR operates on
smart-cards and portable hand-held receiver and is a specially developed
technological means of attaching automobile owner’s unique traits and
personal data to their vehicles for proper identification and protection
purposes.”
He
added that data gotten from this process will be used for forensic
analysis. “The BCMR will provide a one-stop information data base for
all vehicle owners and serve as a strong forensic base for all manners
of investigations which will greatly enhance policing operations
particularly in the area of tracking down and locating positions of
missing vehicles, preventing crimes, arresting criminals guaranteeing
safer and a more secure use of our roads and other sundry crimes,” he
stated.
On
the need to change from the analogue to digitalised process, the
Force’s spokesman said: “Last year, we concluded a comprehensive audit
of the operations and effectiveness of the Central Motor Registration
(CMR) system of recording and keeping tracks on automobiles within the
country.
The
audit became necessary because of the rising wave of terrorism, kidnap,
robberies, theft of automobiles, and other criminalities committed with
untraceable vehicles, tricycles and auto-bikes. Our findings were
mind-boggling.
“To
our chagrin, we found out that because the CMR is largely conducted
manually and at best in some areas through analogue system, it is
subject to a number of abuses ranging from extortion to outright fraud.
More importantly, there are numerous cases of double registration, fake
identifications, addresses, chassis and engine numbers.
This
is what is responsible for the nightmares Nigerians, the Police and our
sister-security institutions face when automobiles are stolen or used
to commit crimes. As part of the transformation agenda of Mr. President
and, the new direction of the present leadership of the Nigeria Police
Force under IGP M.D. Abubakar, to re-position the Force as an efficient
civil institution, we firmly resolved that owners of automobiles in the
country must enjoy the protection and safety of their property as it is
done in well organized society. This is why we decided that it is time
we moved from analogue means of registering automobiles to digital
storage of data on all automobiles as a matter of necessity.”
How It Would Work?!
The
BCMR is an advanced, digital means of storing data of automobiles. It
is less cumbersome and more precise than the CMR. More importantly, it
is cost effective as vehicles would be registered for Three Thousand and
Five Hundred Naira only (N3,500) while tri-cycles popularly called
“Keke Marwa” or “Keke Napep” and auto-bikes go for One Thousand and Five
Hundred Naira (N1,500) only.
According
to him, the BCMR has three means of registration which could be either
through designated Banks, on-line or at some Police Commands. In the
case of the banks, car owners pay the registration fees at the banks,
collect their pin numbers and proceed to the registration points for
their registration – a process that does not take more than ten minutes.
You can also pay on-line, get your registration pin, commence the
pre-registration by yourself, filling the details of your vehicle and
personal data but the registrant would still have to get a designated
registration to complete the registration process where his bio-data,
photo and fingerprints would be captured. In the Police Commands and
other designated formations, registrants would purchase a scratch card
which would give pins to be used for registration. Vehicle owners are
expected to pay N3,500.00, while tricycles popularly called “Keke Marwa”
or “Keke Napep” and auto-bikes go for N1,500.00.
The
BCMR has three means of registration which could be either through
selected Banks (Keystone Bank, UBA, Ecobank, First Bank etc), on-line or
at some Police Commands. In the case of the banks, car owners pay the
registration fees at the banks, collect their pin numbers and proceed to
the registration points for their registration; a process that does not
take more than ten minutes. You can also pay on-line, get your
registration pin, commence the pre-registration by yourself, filling the
details of your vehicle and personal data but the registrant would
still have to get a designated Registration Centre to complete the
registration process where his bio-data, photo and fingerprints would be
captured.
In
the Police Commands and other designated formations, registrants would
purchase a scratch card which would give pins to be used for
registration.
Fingerprints
can be matched or verified against registered finger prints collected
during registration. It is designed to match 20 million fingerprints
per seconds (the speed depends on the size of registered prints) 20
million fingerprints is equivalent to 2 million people (10 prints per
person). Facial Matching can also be achieved with Police BCMR; our
database can be matched with still pictures and frames from a video
stream. The system can match 500,000 pictures per minute (if you have a
registered database of 150 million, the likely match time for facial
recognition is about 300 minutes (5hrs).
After
registration, each automobile would have its identification numbers and
cards. At any point, through a hand-held gadget, the Police can confirm
a registered automobile and detect stolen automobile when stored data
pops up irregularities.
What Are the Advantages of BCMR?
Listing
the benefits inherent in the digital registration process, Mba stated
that automobiles registered with digital BCMR can be easily traced and
retrieved when stolen and in case of any accident, families can be
easily located as well as help to monitor and track down vehicles,
especially against theft and other related crimes.
He
added that BCMR would greatly assist Security Operatives in the
investigations and busting of crimes especially those committed with
automobiles anywhere in the country since there is a scientific and
reliable data base which the Force can resort to.
Again,
he disclosed that as part of the on-going reform efforts by Federal
Government to aid security work, government has installed Close Circuit
Television (CCTV) in strategic cities of the country, adding that with
the BCMR, it would be easier to trace pictures which the CCTV captures.
Other advantages include helping to maintain personal and national
safety, ensure security and serves as a reliable data base of vehicles
and vehicle owners in the country.
Against
the backdrop that there is no act permitting the police to conduct the
process, Mba argued that Section 3(2-6) of the Road Traffic Cap 548 LFN,
1990 among other laws, mandate the Inspector General of Police to
maintain Central Motor Registry of all vehicles issued under Traffic
Act(RTA) and keep data of licenses and renewals by licensing Authority.
Besides,
he stated that on 15th, December, 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan,
represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Rtd. Cpt. Caleb
Olubolade, endorsed and launched the Nigeria Police Force project to
change the registration processes of vehicles, tri-cycles and auto-bikes
from analogue to digital, tagged Police Bio-metric Central Motor
Registration (BCMR).
He
added that since the launching, the Police authority and its technical
partners have been test-running the scheme to ensure a smooth transition
in a way that would neither disturb vehicle owners nor stress
commuters, yet, achieve the fundamental, underlying objectives of a new
system that would guarantee safety and security of lives and property.
“The
pilot schemes in all the selected States and cities were a huge
success. This further reassured the Nigeria Police Force that the BCMR
project is a relevant concept whose time has come for Nigerian vehicle
owners to enjoy the global standards for safety of their vehicles which
other people have been enjoying in advanced, civilized societies all
over the world.”
