Number plate scans net 140 arrests
Discussion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/2949154.stm
Police using high-tech number plate scanners have arrested 140 people and seized drugs and stolen cars worth tens of thousands of pounds.
Officers have operated Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) vans across East and West Sussex over the past 13 weeks. A Sussex Police spokeswoman said the focus had been on catching 'real criminals', including street drug dealers and travelling burglars.
The system, which uses technology similar to the congestion charging scheme, scans number plates and matches them to a database.
Stolen or suspect vehicles are flagged up to police, who can then make targeted stops and inquiries.
Sergeant Steve Black, of the ANPR unit, said: "What we have achieved far exceeds what we hoped.
"As well as the 140 arrests, we have recovered £56,000 worth of stolen cars, £31,500 of drugs have been seized and we have gathered intelligence on serious criminals.
"In a nutshell, 85% of the ANPR team's work is on people who are criminally active or have criminal records and we've targeted street drug dealers on foot and cycle, drugs houses and travelling burglars."
Sgt Black said the scanners had helped catch people who were already wanted by the police as well as those driving while disqualified.
"Because we have been casting a large net it also brought all sorts of other things to the surface, involving people at all levels of criminality.
"Our ultimate aim is to drive criminals from the use of the roads."
Police using high-tech number plate scanners have arrested 140 people and seized drugs and stolen cars worth tens of thousands of pounds.
Officers have operated Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) vans across East and West Sussex over the past 13 weeks. A Sussex Police spokeswoman said the focus had been on catching 'real criminals', including street drug dealers and travelling burglars.
The system, which uses technology similar to the congestion charging scheme, scans number plates and matches them to a database.
Stolen or suspect vehicles are flagged up to police, who can then make targeted stops and inquiries.
Sergeant Steve Black, of the ANPR unit, said: "What we have achieved far exceeds what we hoped.
"As well as the 140 arrests, we have recovered £56,000 worth of stolen cars, £31,500 of drugs have been seized and we have gathered intelligence on serious criminals.
"In a nutshell, 85% of the ANPR team's work is on people who are criminally active or have criminal records and we've targeted street drug dealers on foot and cycle, drugs houses and travelling burglars."
Sgt Black said the scanners had helped catch people who were already wanted by the police as well as those driving while disqualified.
"Because we have been casting a large net it also brought all sorts of other things to the surface, involving people at all levels of criminality.
"Our ultimate aim is to drive criminals from the use of the roads."
deltaf said: Including ordinary motorists too....
Hey, if it catches the estimated 1 million motorists who are completely outside of motoring legality, with no insurance, MOT or tax, I'm 100% behind it. Get these scum off the roads, and insurance premiums for the rest of us can come down, not to mention safer roads due to less hit and run accidents and properly inspected cars, and a reduction in car crime in general.
"...and stolen cars worth tens of thousands of pounds"
Is that 1, 10, or 100 cars then?
So if I want to protect my £1m of drugs in the boot of my car I simply need to drive slowly, pay my car tax, pay my insurance, and make sure I have a valid driving licence.
>> Edited by m-five on Friday 30th May 12:18
Is that 1, 10, or 100 cars then?
So if I want to protect my £1m of drugs in the boot of my car I simply need to drive slowly, pay my car tax, pay my insurance, and make sure I have a valid driving licence.
>> Edited by m-five on Friday 30th May 12:18
steve-p said:
deltaf said: Including ordinary motorists too....
Hey, if it catches the estimated 1 million motorists who are completely outside of motoring legality, with no insurance, MOT or tax, I'm 100% behind it. Get these scum off the roads, and insurance premiums for the rest of us can come down, not to mention safer roads due to less hit and run accidents and properly inspected cars, and a reduction in car crime in general.
Catching them is one thing, but then what happens? Probably not much.
How many people do you hear of on the news who break the traffic law whilst already disqualified? We've had tales on here of people who are aware others are driving whilst disqual.
beano500 said:
m-five said:
So if I want to protect my £1m of drugs in the boot of my car I simply need to drive slowly, pay my car tax, pay my insurance, and make sure I have a valid driving licence.
£1m in drugs doens't weigh enuff to need new shocks .....
...and uprate your shocks?
"To catch "real" criminals"?
Yet again, I have to employ maximum cynicism on this.
It's surely just an excuse to bolster the big brother watch over us all - just remember in a year or two how this (thin end of the wedge) crept in and see how, little-by-little, it gets built upon to increase surveillance / speed checks / perhaps where you are going / who is in the car.
Time and time again something unpalatable will be introduced in a minor way; most things do including taxation, for example, the new(ish) airport tax and insurance premium tax, which start low then get increased in future budgets.
Yet again, I have to employ maximum cynicism on this.
It's surely just an excuse to bolster the big brother watch over us all - just remember in a year or two how this (thin end of the wedge) crept in and see how, little-by-little, it gets built upon to increase surveillance / speed checks / perhaps where you are going / who is in the car.
Time and time again something unpalatable will be introduced in a minor way; most things do including taxation, for example, the new(ish) airport tax and insurance premium tax, which start low then get increased in future budgets.
mondeoman said:
beano500 said:
m-five said:
So if I want to protect my £1m of drugs in the boot of my car I simply need to drive slowly, pay my car tax, pay my insurance, and make sure I have a valid driving licence.
£1m in drugs doens't weigh enuff to need new shocks .....
...and uprate your shocks?
We generally make people take off their shocks and if they have a lot of stuff suspected, then their pants tooBend over and spreadem chap!
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff