Manchester vehicles watched by new cameras
Manchester vehicles watched by new cameras
Commercial vehicle drivers entering one city are having their vehicle number plates tracked by a new police system.
Greater Manchester Police has introduced a network of 12 permanent automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) sites to monitor thousands of vehicles a day.
Officers say the scheme will allow them to track any vehicles suspected of being stolen or of being used by criminals.
Quoted by Rochdale Online, Manchester assistant chief constable Dave Thompson said: "The cameras that are now in place will provide police officers with an additional source of information during the vital early stages of major investigations."
He added the technology would help officers tackle everything from small-scale local offences to international organised crime.
Each camera monitors number plates and checks them against a variety of databases.
The technology can even see if cars and commercial vehicles have a car or van insurance policy in place, or make sure a vehicle is properly taxed.
Manchester is the first city outside of London to use the technology, with the capital already running a wide network of ANPR sites.