About Us - Platform1

We envision a South Africa where technology empowers communities and law enforcement to reduce crime meaningfully — securing accurate, evidence-based convictions that uphold justice and restore public trust.

Platform1 Systems (Pty) Ltd is dedicated to providing ethical and privacy-focused License Plate Recognition (LPR) software. We are a Level 4 B-BBEE Exempted Micro Enterprise, headquartered in Cape Town with a satellite office in Johannesburg. Clients in Pretoria and Mpumalanga are serviced by both our Cape Town and Johannesburg-based team, with further expansion planned.

Founded by Andrew Barnes, a former SAPS reservist with nearly 20 years experience in community safety, the company was created to ensure responsible use of License Plate Recognition (LPR) data in fighting crime. While LPR technology has great potential, unregulated access in South Africa has raised serious privacy concerns — which we are committed to addressing ethically and securely.

Platform1 addresses this by ensuring that data access is tightly controlled, based on legitimate crime-fighting needs only. Civil matters—such as vehicle repossessions or insurance claims—are strictly excluded, for us and our clients. Our clients retain full ownership of their data, which is not mined, commercialised, or sold for profit.

Andrew Barnes

Founder and Chief Executive

“While serving as a reservist in the South African Police Service, I saw LPR providers prioritising data mining and profiteering over crime-fighting. I wanted to launch a platform that would protect public data, while giving my law enforcement colleagues the best possible support. Platform1 continues to put service before profit, enabling organic growth with integrity.”