Digital device helps bars shut door on troublesome patrons
A Taranaki hospitality veteran has employed a new digital technology that stores and shares information about troublesome patrons and is hoping other businesses do the same.
David Stone, owner of Rooftop Bar, Good Home and Icons in New Plymouth has recently introduced the Patron Scan system at his venues.
Patron scan, which was the subject of Privacy Commissions inquiries last year, allows bars to track fake IDS, troublemakers and drug use by scanning a person’s ID and taking their photo as they enter.
Information about undesirable patrons is stored and can be shared with other venues that use the system in New Zealand and Australia, helping them keep those patrons out.
Information about customers who don’t get flagged is deleted after 30 days.
Stones said the photo system, which was introduced three weeks ago, had already been effective and they had refused entry to people who had been flagged by the system when they scanned their IDS.
‘‘The whole idea is about safety and upping the standards of your bar environment.
‘‘At the end of the day we’re not the police, but we want to keep our environment safe, so they are turned away.’’
The system has long been used in Australia and has made its way to New Zealand bars over the past few years.
The Good Home and Icons are the first in New Plymouth to use the technology, but Stones said it would be good if other venues used it as well as it would help ‘‘clean up inappropriate behaviour’’
‘‘Ninety-nine per cent of people are embracing it and the people that don’t want to give us their ID are probably the people you wouldn’t want in your venue.’’
Doc Van Praagh, co-owner of New Plymouth’s Crowded House, said he wouldn’t be opposed to the system, but it did spark some concerns around privacy.
‘‘It would keep a lot of the undesirables out, so I’d definitely look at it, but it would be nice to find out the legalities of it first,’’ he said.
The Privacy Commission office looked into businesses using the system last year to check it was compliant with the Privacy Act.
The act states people must know when information is collected and that it is used appropriately and kept safe.
Under the act those who collect personal information have to be open and honest about what is happening with it.
In a written response to questions, Privacy Commission spokesperson Jared Nicoll said businesses wanting to use the technology must complete a privacy impact assessment to identify and mitigate any privacy risks.
‘‘Potential risks with ID scanners can arise if they are not well managed. For example, the information collected by an ID scanner is stored in a database and those details might be used for identity fraud if they end up in the wrong hands,’’ he said.
‘‘Some precautions against misuse include: not keeping information for any longer than necessary; controlling which staff need to access it; and making sure the information collected is only used its original security purpose.’’