Hi tech number plate readers are set to help police in Harold in the fight against crime as the lightning fast technology will be used to detect crooks entering the town.
The cutting edge machinery will be used by forces across Havering under Operation Laser to identify vehicles linked to criminal activity.
The automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) machine scans number plates and matches them against information stored in police databases to identify vehicles that may have been stolen or involved in a crime.
Around seven extra officers will be drafted into Harold over the coming months to carry out a number of high profile checks on vehicles.
Sgt Paul Kinzett from Romford Police, said: "Operation Laser involves using ANPR machines which are an amazing piece of technology that can be used to check vehicle information quickly.
"We used the ANPR technology on a different initiative in October last year which demonstrated to us that there were a lot of benefits to using this method. It resulted in a number of arrests in a wide range of crimes."
The operation comes in the wake of the Home Office's decision to extend the ANPR system to 23 forces in England and Wales as part of the Government's police reform agenda.
Published Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article