Police operation stops 20 drivers (From Witney Gazette)

Police operation stops 20 drivers

5:10pm Wednesday 24th January 2007 in Witney

POLICE using Automatic Number Plate Recognition equipment stopped 20 drivers in a two-hour operation in Witney today.

Officers said 980 vehicles went through the system, and 20 of these vehicles provided hits on the system.

PC Dawn Cullip, involved with the operation said: "We were also pulling drivers over for not wearing their seatbelt or for using a mobile phone. I was surprised that 16 people were stopped for not wearing a seatbelt, especially with the heavy snowfall last night.

"I would urge people to make sure they wear their seatbelts in an attempt to reduce injuries and deaths on the roads which could so easily be prevented by the use of seatbelts.

"The simple action of putting on your seatbelt can literally save your life. We see what happens on impact when a seatbelt is not worn all too often. Lives are lost and ruined, and this suffering could be avoided so easily, just by wearing a seatbelt."

The ANPR technology uses cameras to read' vehicle number-plates. Within a fraction of a second the registration number is checked against one or more databases and will sound an alert if the vehicle is identified against one of those target databases'. The databases include the Police National Computer and the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency.