As controversy continues to rage over the new Digital Biometric Central Motor Registration (BCMR) system, the police have argued that BCMR is a vital tool to modern policing in Nigeria, adding that BCMR does not in any way duplicates activities of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Biometric refers to technologies that measure and analyse human body characteristics such as DNA, fingerprint, palm prints, eye retina, irises, voices patters, facial patterns and hand measurement for authentication purposes.
PoliceBCMR is a technological means of attaching automobile owner’s special and unique biological characteristics (biometrics) and personal data to their vehicles for authentication, protection, crime prevention and detection purposes which operates on a smart card and handheld card reader.
This is also a specially developed enterprise solution for centralization and validation of vehicle documents in order to create and authenticate the database for police operational use in crime management nationwide. Particularly for countries in West Africa where band width is low for efficient telecommunication and internet connectivity coupled with inconsistent GPRS that has been an hindrance to efficient automobile tracking technologies. The Handheld device does not rely or need internet connectivity and electricity to operate anywhere in the country.
The Force spokesman, Frank Mba, explaining the uniqueness of the BCMR said that it would help the Nigerian Police Force to effectively and efficiently fulfil its constitutional roles of saving lives and property, combating terrorism, preventing crimes, apprehending and prosecuting offenders, amongst other duties.
Since the BCMR was announced, Nigerians have argued that it was as if the police were trying to take over the job of the FRSC.
Motorists have argued that the financial burden will be too much on the people. Others have equally argued that rather than go through with the BCMR, police should work in harmony with FRSC, thus reducing and cutting back money motorists would have to spend.
In a nutshell, motorists are expected to pay to register with the PoliceBCMR and also make another pyament to register with FRSC. The two boils down to the same registration of the same vehicle.
Mba however justified the advent of the BCMR, insisting that it was not just a way of meeting up with the world in modern policing, it was also a means to check terrorism, which for long, had been strangulating Nigeria and Nigerians.
He said: “Ninety percent of suicide bombers committed the crime and carried out the attacks, using automobiles. We can’t relate with any of the persons or relations in order to further our investigations.
“But with BCMR, from the debris of the burnt car, we can get the Chassis or engine numbers. We can know the detail of the vehicle, the owner and next of kin if it had been registered with the BCMR. All those details, especially about the owner of the car, would be in the BCMR. All we need to do is to use the BCMR hand device, input the Chassis or engine number of the burnt car and all other information about the owner and vehicle will come up.”
According to Mba, BCMR, is not a new concept, it’s just a change of the registration processes of vehicles, tricycles and auto-bikes from the old analogue CMR-Central Motor Registration to the new Digital Biometric Central Motor Registration (BCMR) system.
He said that on December, 15, 2011, the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Rtd. Captain Caleb Olubolade, as part of his transformation agenda, endorsed and launched the Nigeria Police Force project to change the registration processes of vehicles, tri-cycles and auto-bikes from analog to digital, tagged Police Bio-metric Central Motor Registration (BCMR).
While explaining that the former way of registering cars worked in the 50s because there were not too many vehicles, Mba said BCMR is now vital with the huge number of vehicles in Nigeria.
“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,” said Mba.
He said that aside from serving as central data base for all registered vehicles, it will also be a veritable tool for fighting terrorism, car theft and also check incidences of double registrations and stolen vehicles.
“Once a registered is stolen, such a car will not be driven in this country!” said Mba. “With Biometric, there won’t be danger of buying stolen vehicles. Car dealers are expected to register all their cars. If you want to buy a car, you can log on to the BCMR to check if the car is a stolen one. In case of accidents, it will be easier to contact the victim’s next of kin.”
Mba noted that with BCMR, physical contact between police and motorists would reduce. He said that such reduction will also reduce corruption, accidental discharges and assaults, which he stressed usually, happened during police and motorists interaction on the roads.
The police image maker explained that the force does not expect all police to carry the BCMR hand held device. Neither do they expect all police teams working on the highway to have it.
Finally referring to the controversy generated by BCMR and FRSC mandate, Mba explained: “I am aware that the Federal Road Safety Corps are doing something similar. I however must add that the system any organization builds depend on its mandate. What they have, is purely designed to help in the execution of their mandates.
“Police on the other hand, have a very wide mandate. Our mandate covers safety on the roads, terrorism, bank robbery, rape, policing of the border and detention of crime. Rather than police and FRSC competing as people are saying, the two systems are complementary.”
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. Mba said the payment of the money, should not be seen as punishment, adding “There’s nowhere in the world where security comes easy. The money is to maintain and carry out the process.”
The BCMR has three means of registration which could be either through, on-line or at some Police Commands.
Mba said there was no deadline yet for the registration by motorists, adding that Nigerians need time to migrate and embrace BCMR.
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