RFID-based design-theoretical framework for combating police impersonation in South Africa

Police impersonation is a serious crime against the state and is on the rise globally. One reason why it is easily accomplished is the lack of strong security features on police equipment. Police impersonation could place the citizens in a state of insecurity and upsurge social anxiety. Moreover, it could tarnish the image of the police and reduce their public confidence and trust. Thus, police officers´ (PO) integrity have to be protected. This paper therefore, aim to proffer solution to this global issue through the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) to combat impersonation taking the South African Police Service (SAPS) as a focal point. The objective is to assist POs to identify real POs or cars in a real-time mode. To achieve this, we proposed the design of an RFID-based device having both tag and mini-reader integrated together on every PO and cars. Additionally, the paper implemented a novel system prototype interface called Police Identification System (PIS) to assist the police in the identification process. Given the benefits of RFID, we believed that if the idea is adopted and implemented by SAPS, it could assist in combating police impersonation and reduce crime rate.