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Laser spots felons on the move
Page 11
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• New technology designed to help the police deny violent criminals the use of the roads is nearing the end of its trial period with initial results looking promising.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems use digital cameras to capture individual number plates on video at the rate of 3,000 an hour. The plates are checked against police databases and any that match number plates of trucks and cars of interest are immediately passed to police intercept teams.
There has been a reported 10-fold increase in arrest rates in the West Midlands and Northamptonshire, where police have been carrying out trials with the technology.
The Vehicle Inspectorate is also investing in similar technology ( CM 411 July 2002). Kevin Rooney, VI's head of traffic enforcement policy, says contracts are currently being put out to tender.
"Project Laser [the system currently being tested by the poke] is a formidable system that links all ANPF1 systems in the country; our project is in its infant stages. There could be crossovers with both, but the police are primarily looking at cars: HGVs are not the main thrust."
A Home Office spokesman says a decision should be made by the end of the year whether to roll out Project Laser nationwide.