Police officers from the Northamptonshire Police Operation Tactical Unit took part in a nationwide ANPR day of action on Friday, March 12.
Throughout the day 32 officers took part in the operation that was aimed at tackling criminals using the county’s roads.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is an established technology that reads vehicle number plates via cameras using optical character recognition software.
ANPR devices scan vehicle registrations and check them against information stored on databases, including the Police National Computer, to identify vehicles of interest to the police. Those vehicles are then stopped by police and the occupants spoken to.
Inspector Andy Hall from the Operations Tactical Unit, said: “Many criminals rely on vehicles to commit crime. There are very strong links between illegal use of motor vehicles on the road and other types of serious crime.
“ANPR is a valuable tool in the campaign to make our streets safer allowing the majority of people lawfully using our roads to continue to do so unhindered.
“It is also highly effective in securing very quick lines of enquiry that have led to early arrests and in securing the very best evidence to support criminal prosecutions.
The aim of ANPR deployment is to reduce crime and disorder, increase detection rates, deter terrorism, promote public reassurance and enhance intelligence.
Across the country 249 people were arrested and 431 vehicles were seized by officers taking part in the Association of Chief Police Officer (ACPO), led day of action.
In Northamptonshire six people were arrested throughout the course of the day and nine cars were seized for a variety of offences including driving with no insurance.
Two men arrested in a car in Northampton after their vehicle failed to stop. One man was charged with dangerous driving and no insurance, while the other man was wanted for breach of a community order and released on bail in relation to the theft of a laptop found in the vehicle.
In another incident three men arrested and charged in connection with a robbery after being stopped by officers who had established that the vehicle they were travelling was linked to the offence.
And one person was arrested and charged for driving while disqualified after the ANPR cameras highlighted their car.
Source [About My Area]
