British Petroleum (BP) is trialling fingerprint scanning technology
to cut crime in its petrol station forecourts.
The oil giant is using fingerprint scanning devices at petrol
stations in Milton Keynes to authorise staff access to restricted
areas, as a more secure alternative to combination code locks.
The company is also considering using controversial facial
recognition technology from fixed cameras in forecourts to identify
known offenders, although thinking on this is in its early stages,
said Charlie Swayne, security adviser for BP retail.
Crimes ranging from people driving off without paying for petrol to
armed robbery cost the industry £50m a year, the British Oil
Security Syndicate has estimated.
"This [fingerprint technology] project is specifically looking at
security and the opportunistic thief," said Swayne. "With
push-button access customers can see what codes you are
using."
Fingerprint access control devices could be extended to other areas
of petrol station forecourts, such as cash tills or outside payment
terminals, Swayne added.
If the trial - due to run for another three months and using
equipment from various suppliers - is judged a success, BP plans to
roll out the technology nationwide.
A growing number of UK organisations, including local authorities
and airports, have begun to pump money into biometric technology,
which is touted as a way to reduce crime and help to pinpoint
terrorists. But tests over the past few years have raised doubts
about its reliability in a busy commercial environment - some
people have been wrongly identified as being on a police wanted
list.