The police are using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to stop law breakers from using the roads. These hi tech cameras read a vehicles number plate and check it against various government databases in seconds in order to see if the car and driver are legal.
In an operation that took place in Hampshire see over five hundred and fifty cars stopped, and eighteen people arrested over a two week period. The police have been using this equipment which consists of two roof mounted cameras which face both ways in order to make sure that no suspect vehicle escapes.
Sergeant Spencer Wragg, who led the team, said: "ANPR is such a good tool for us to use. We stopped just over 500 vehicles during the operation and each camera would have read about 7,000 to 8,000 number plates a day."
"One of the arrests came about as the car came up as having no insurance. We stopped the driver and found he was wanted for three outstanding offences from a long time ago.
"We had another car that came up as stolen. We arrested the driver and found out the passenger was also wanted in London."
"The only vehicles that get highlighted to us on the system are vehicles that are either uninsured, have no tax or have some other police report or interest in them.
"The DVLA does its own tax enforcement, but what we find is that if people aren't willing to pay for their tax disc, they are quite often those who may be wanted in relation to other offences.
"The only people who should be concerned by the cameras are those who are breaking the law to some degree, whether it's having no tax disc or something more serious."
However it was not just serious offences that got drivers into trouble, there were also drivers fined for using mobile phones, and for not wearing a seat belt, but contrary to public belief this camera system does not have the capability to check the vehicles speed.
Source [This is Hampshire]
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