Security at your fingertips

By John Hill on August 12, 2008 11:20 AM |

Tagged with:

HAVE you ever been asked for a fingerprint when buying cigarettes?

This could be the future for clubs, pubs and shops thanks to an innovative Docklands company.

Biometric specialists Idscan have developed a range of 10 products to aid with personal identification, which can be used for everything from checking ages to checking out coats.

The company was set up by Isle of Dogs resident Tam Thompson, who noticed a gap in the market while working in leisure marketing.

Its most recent product is the Agesafe verification system, which protects vendors from making under-age sales by asking them to scan in any one of 300 IDs.

Regulars can also have a biometric fingerprint taken which is encrypted locally on the system, so they can prove their age even if they have forgotten their ID.

Tam said: “We’re aware of a demand because licenses are being lost on a daily basis. It’s for pubs, clubs and anyone who sells restricted goods such as cigarettes or alcohol.
“It’s fully encrypted and only stored locally, although it can be networked across shop chains. We’re not interested in centralising, holding or managing the data.�?

Other uses of biometrics include Cloakscan. The club-goer is photographed and fingerprinted when given a ticket, so the location and owner of the coat can be immediately matched on the system.

The recent smoking ban also spawned Smokescreen, which allows clubbers to beat the queues by leaving their print when nipping outside. And issues with club security gave birth to the company’s flagship product.
Using Clubscan, doormen can find out who is barred or under-age just by swiping ID.

The system is already in place in West End clubs such as Tiger Tiger, Funky Buddha, China White’s and Zoo Bar.

The success of Clubscan allowed Idscan to open an office in New York in February. It is now moving from the Docklands Business Centre in Tiller Road to a new home in the Skyline Village in Marsh Wall.

Tam said: “Clubs using Clubscan have reported a 70 per cent drop in disorder. There’s no other initiative that’s had such a dramatic impact on venues.
“You can’t force someone to hand over their ID, but those that do are agreeing to create safer environments for people to enjoy themselves.�?

Go to www.idscan.co.uk for more details.