Electronic Laser Fence Security Alert System.

Exterbox has long observed the state of affairs in the agricultural industry and has contacted stakeholders to try and formulate an “out of the box” idea to curb the dreaded problem of praedial larceny. Out of this research was born the Electronic Laser Fence Security Alert System. It brings a mix of security, electronics and mobile technology to solve an age old problem. The system implements an invisible laser fence around the area to be secured.

The scourge of crime has not spared anyone; it has hit the agricultural sector with devastating effects. Thieves took 35 cows in one night from Frank Dunkley of St Elizabeth in Nov. 2006. Just months after, four more were stolen. Among the cattle was a $90,000 bull Dunkley bought a day before the theft. “On any day I can go and see cows missing or they kill them right there on the farm," said Dunkley” [Gleaner May 28, 2008]. The President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society described praedial larceny as a "cancer" which affects the agricultural sector, with farmers losing $4 billion or 25% of production each year.

Farmers all across the island suffer from praedial larceny and have tried many security options. Expensive security measures such as contracting a security company, perimeter fencing and feed for security dogs may run into hundreds of thousands of dollars each month [Gleaner June 4, 2008], but these methods have not evolved to match the wit of today’s criminals. One farmer mentioned that although his farm is fenced, his canes are not protected. "No matter how you secure it, once they want it (sugar cane) they climb the fence". These farmers are never informed of the security breach until it is way too late. An active system which will make them always aware of the state of the safety of their property is needed to fix this problem.

Exterbox has long observed the state of affairs in the agricultural industry and has contacted stakeholders to try and formulate an “out of the box” idea to curb this dreaded problem. Out of this research was born the Electronic Laser Fence Security Alert System. It brings a mix of security, electronics and mobile technology to solve an age old problem. The system implements an invisible laser fence around the area to be secured; this is hooked to a mobile communication system which can send SMS text messages or initiate voice calls to a list of predefined contacts. The fence is non-detectable by unsuspecting intruders and thus makes security very difficult to compromise. It is tamper-proof due to its design with a remote heartbeat mechanism which monitors the status of the laser fence and reports any abnormality in its operation.

The emergence of the laser fence technology in the agricultural sector will usher in a new era of mobile security innovation.