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ANPRS - Automatic number plate recognition systems
Automatic number plate recognition systems have been around for a few years now, but have become more and more popular with police forces and other agencies that their use has expanded enormously.
They are one of the major tools use to detect and remove from our roads untaxed and un-insured drivers. Accidentally they were also found to be most effective in detecting known criminals and cars known to be used in crimes as they travelled around the country. They have also been used in cases of terrorism.
They work be photographing the number plate of every vehicle which passes and then the registration number is cross matched against one or more databases from the DVLA , Police or others.
The operator is warned when a match is made by the software and then, depending on what the cameras is being used for, one of several things can happen.
Minor offences may result in a fixed penalty being issued for congestion charging or similar, while more serious offences will result in the car being stopped by the Police.
In this way police efficiency can be increased by using systems which do not require an officer, or a minimum number of officers can detect and arrest the maximum number of offenders within a given timeframe.
Some operations are multi-agency, including DVLA, Police, Borders Agency and VAT officers. Vehicles which trigger a match with their number plates have often been found to be transgressing many laws simultaneously, for example, no tax or insurance, illegal fuel, transportation of drugs,illegal immigration.
If you have any questions regarding any of the above , please contact us by email or telephone.
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