Cherished Number Plates News

Number Plates Recognition Goes Private

02 November 2008

The introduction of ANPR systems in the UK and other countries seen a massive success in catching speeding drivers and banned motorists. With this success came an entrupenur whirlwind which has attracted private companies to develop their own systems to sell to foreign law agencies.

For example, countries like the Republic of Ireland and Norway are still yet to fully bring in the system to the extent as it has been here in the UK, like by fitting it to patrol cars. The Republic police force; An Garda Siobhan has been receiving demonstrations of the new systems and are taking and interest. Other police forces world wide are also taking notice of this revolution in law enforcement.

The ANPR system works by cleverly recognising the number plates of cars and other vehicles. Its dose this by using a camera with recognition software to distinguish the letters and numbers. The registration is then fed through a central database and if there is any ‘heat’ on the car it can be pulled over by the patrol car, thus eliminating painstaking hours of police time searching for the car and its owner.

This new wave of private firms developing ANPR is just the most recent privatisation of the business of creating new crime fighting devices. Now, most of police equipment is made by private bodies such as their stab-proof vests and other utilities.