Car number plate camera trials see 13,500 arrested
By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor The Daily Telegraph
Thousands of motorists stopped by police using number plate recognition scanners have been arrested for a range of non-driving offences.
David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, said the success of the new Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras was such that he was extending the scheme.
An extra £15 million would be spent equipping the police with the system, which is used by half the forces in England and Wales. Figures published yesterday showed that in a 12-month pilot period in 23 force areas there were nearly 13,500 arrests for a wide range of offences.
The Home Office said the arrest rate was nine times the national average. Police intercept teams stopped 180,000 vehicles using the system. They recovered 1,152 stolen vehicles worth more than £7.5 million, stolen goods worth more than £640,000 and drugs valued at £380,000.
Officers also recovered 13 firearms and 266 offensive weapons. There were 3,330 arrests for driving offences, 2,263 for theft and burglary, 1,100 for drug offences and 1,300 for vehicle theft.
The cameras can check up to 3,000 vehicles an hour. Mr Blunkett said ANPR was "a powerful tool" that brought enormous benefits to the police and to society.
The system works even if the targets are travelling at 100 mph. The infrared digital cameras can capture images, even in poor light, rain, reflection or dazzle. Computer software reads the number plates and sends the information to databases that can alert officers within seconds to stolen, unregistered, untaxed or uninsured vehicles.
Most drivers are stopped for failure to display a tax disc or for talking on a mobile phone and are given a £30 fixed penalty.
For more serious offences, such as driving without insurance, £200 endorsable penalties can be issued but the research showed that only 14 per cent of these were paid.
The report said there was evidence that penalties in court were sometimes less severe than the fines themselves, encouraging offenders not to pay the on-the-spot fine and go to court instead.
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Sounds like some good results here.
Value for money, would be open to debate.
& I'd never suggest this as being further sanctions for Big Brother & co!!
VB
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"driving without insurance, £200 endorsable penalties can be issued but the research showed that only 14 per cent of these were paid."
So they must have name, address etc? Go round and impound the car or better still, crush it.
Is this rate the same for all motoring offences? Does it really mean that 86% don't pay up (or get their licence endorsed)?
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"Is this rate the same for all motoring offences? Does it really mean that 86% don't pay up (or get their licence endorsed)?"
No.
Our Force has it and it has generated a lot of work for our briefs. Every cloud and all that.
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Most drivers are stopped for failure to display a tax disc or for talking on a mobile phone and are given a £30 fixed penalty.
Pardon? What is the 15 million quid for then ANPR has nothing to do with this - Mk1 eyeball is sufficient.
Martin
(not disagreeing with ANPR, just the reporting??)
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No mention I see about the fact it was originally implemented and honed by the City of London police in the "ring of steel" to track who was entering? Spying in fact. Ok in that case it was probably justifiable for Anti Terrorism reasons. It worked.
I suspect that the wider implementation is partly funded by the national defence, and in these times frankly who can blame them.
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They had it set up just after J6 ACW M25 last year with very visible police van & mobike & cameras in each lane. The Traffic slowed at around J10 and crawled all of the way because every muppett decided to go under it at around 30MPH. The queues were absolutely horrendous. And I could have quite happily strangled whoever had sanctioned it. Could have been done much more covertly and caused far less problem. But keeping traffic moving these days isn't a high priority.
Jim
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