I recently re-taxed one of my older cars, which had been stored and a SORN (Statutory Off-Road Notice) declaration made. Within the course of the next three days it was stopped twice by police cars fitted with ANPR because their in-car systems indicated that the car wasn't taxed. Although they were incorrect, it highlighted to me what a powerful weapon Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) has become in roads policing. Forces are now able to spot potentially dangerous vehicles (no valid MOT) and both untaxed and uninsured ones too.
Gloucestershire Police have found ANPR particularly effective in a crackdown against illegally driven vehicles, resulting in a significant number being taken off the road. For the police in Cornwall ANPR fitted to traffic patrol cars has also had a dramatic impact, with the number of individuals prosecuted for driving without insurance nearly trebling.
When it comes to tackling crime, Cleveland Police for their part are now reaping the rewards of a system of static cameras, which can target burglars, car thieves and drug dealers travelling on the main roads into urban areas such as Middlesborough. The ANPR system - which is constantly updated with details of suspect vehicles - automatically alerts the police control room if a vehicle is detected, allowing it to be monitored and, if necessary, police action to be taken. A similar system in Bradford proved invaluable when West Yorkshire Police needed to track the getaway car - and subsequently arrest the suspects - following the shooting of two police officers in November 2005, one fatally, who had been responding to an incident at a travel agency in the city.