Vehicle Crime
POLICE TECHNOLOGY SNARES SERIOUS OFFENDERS
More than 400 people have been arrested in a pilot scheme targeting serious offenders on Staffordshire roads.
The force is one of 23 in England and Wales using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) in the Home Office programme launched last June.
Road Crime Team (RCT) officers, based at the force's Weston Road complex, made 4,753 stops between June 2003 and March 2004 resulting in 415 arrests – almost 10 per cent of the total stops.
Nearly £170,000 of stolen property was also recovered thanks to ANPR which has brought large numbers of persistent offenders to justice.
ANPR cameras scan the registration numbers of thousands of vehicles in Staffordshire a day. They immediately return hundreds of 'hits' where a number plate is matched on databases, including PNC (Police National Computer) and SPIN (Staffs Police Intelligence Network), which contain around nine million vehicles of interest.
The cameras are based in specially-equipped cars used by RCT teams. ANPR is also incorporated into local authority CCTV systems in Stoke-on-Trent, as part of Staffordshire Crime Reduction Partnership, and Codsall, as part of South Staffordshire Crime Reduction Partnership. When a hit occurs, police intercept teams are alerted instantly and the driver may be stopped.
Of the arrests, 39 were for theft or burglary, 12 for drugs and 27 for auto crime. A total of 21 stolen vehicles, with an estimated value of £164,820, were recovered. Officers also issued 1,538 Fixed Penalty Notices for crimes including driving without insurance or a valid MOT certificate.
One example of ANPR success occurred earlier this year when a driver was stopped in Stoke-on-Trent due to an entry that indicated he may be involved in taking drugs. Following further investigations, he was charged with four counts of possession with intent to supply.
Last update: 04 June 2004