TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1982
+VAL ID+ COMPUTER SYSTEM PUTS END TO CAR CHEATS
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CAR CHEATS AND OTHERS TRYING TO CIRCUMVENT THE LAW ARE WARNED NOT TO TRY THEIR OLD TRICKS ANYMORE, FOR THEY NOW HAVE TO RECKON WITH THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT'S RECENTLY COMPLETED 'VALID' COMPUTER SYSTEM.
SOME OF THE TRICKS USED BY THE UNSCRUPULOUS IN THE PAST WERE POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE TIME LAG THAT EXISTED BEFORE A THOROUGH CHECK COULD BE MADE ON SUCH THINGS AS OWNERSHIP DETAILS AND TRAFFIC OFFENCES.
BUT THE INSTANT RECALL OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM THE 'VAL ID' COMPUTER SYSTEM WILL PUT AN END TO SUCH DECEPTION, MR SIMON SIT, SENIOR EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE DEPARTMENT'S LICENSING DIVISION, EXPLAINED.
FOR INSTANCE, HE SAID, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO HAVE OBTAINED DOUBLE LOANS FROM FINANCE COMPANIES BY DEPOSITING THEIR ORIGINAL VEHICLE REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS WITH ONE COMPANY AND THEN REPORTING THE LOSS OF SUCH DOCUMENTS IN ORDER TO GET A NEW SET OF DOCUMENTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT FOR DEPOSITING WITH ANOTHER COMPANY TO OBTAIN ANOTHER LOAN,
IN THE OLD SYSTEM, MR SIT SAID, IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO MAKE IMMEDIATE AND INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION OF PARTICULARS CONTAINED IN THE APPLICATIONS FOR NEW DOCUMENTS OR TO DETECT ANY UNAUTHORISED ALTERATIONS TO OR FORGERIES OF DOCUMENTS PRESENTED.
+THIS SORT OF TRICKERY IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE, NOW THAT THE VALID SYSTEM CAN INSTANTLY PROVIDE CURRENT INFORMATION ON VEHICLES, + HE SAID.
IN ADDITION TO THE INSTANT DETECTION BENEFITS, THE VALID SYSTEM HAS MEANT A FAR GREATER EFFICIENCY AND SAVINGS IN MANPOWER. FOR INSTANCE, IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, THE DIVISION'S THREE LICENSING OFFICES MADE CLOSE TO 1 950 000 LICENSING AND REGISTRATION TRANSACTIONS OVER THE COUNTER, AN INCREASE OF 33 PER CENT OVER THE WORK DONE IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
+THESE TRANSACTIONS WERE PROCESSED BY 60 COMPUTER TERMINALS MANNED BY A COUNTER AND COMPUTER STAFF OF ONLY 90, MR SIT SAID.
HE RECKONED THAT IT WOULD HAVE REQUIRED AN ADDITIONAL STAFF OF AT LEAST 100 JUST TO MAINTAIN RECORDS IF THE VALID SYSTEM HAD NOT BEEN INTRODUCED.
+EVEN WITH THE ADDITIONAL STAFF, THE QUALITY AND PROMPTNESS OF SERVICE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANYWHERE AS GOOD, HE SAID.
MORE IMPORTANT, THE SYSTEM NOW GREATLY CUTS DOWN OPPORTUNITIES FOR FORGERY, UNAUTHORISED ALTERATIONS OF PARTICULARS AND OTHER MALPRACTICES IN CONNECTION WITH VEHICLE AND DRIVER LICENSING AND VEHICLE REGISTRATION, MR SIT POINTED OUT.
/THE VALID