Police authority tells cops: Justify cost of car spy system (From Banbury Cake)

Police authority tells cops: Justify cost of car spy system

4:55pm Monday 7th December 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(9)

POLICE have been told to prove that a spy camera system tracking illegal drivers is worth millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.

Thames Valley Police plans to spend almost £5m on its automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) network by 2014.

It currently has 47 cameras at secret locations, and plans to install 34 more.

Cameras track number plates of all vehicles and link into police computers to identify illegal drivers or vehicles believed to be used by criminals.

But the Thames Valley Police Authority, which acts as a financial and operational watchdog, wants evidence that the multi-million pound secret network has solved crimes.

Evidence released last night by the police revealed that in the past two months it had helped recover £110,000 worth of stolen property in Oxfordshire — including 10 vehicles — and led to 17 arrests.

Ben Simpson, a member of Thames Valley Police Authority, said: “Up to £5m is to be spent over 10 years and we need to know where it is going.

“I do not object to the scheme but the money will have been taken from some other area of policing.

“We have to be able to demonstrate that it is good value for money.”

Chief Constable Sara Thornton promised to give the authority a detailed report on the system’s value for money.

John Knight, automatic number plate recognition manager, said staff now monitored the cameras 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

He added: “In the last two months (in Thames Valley), the unit has been directly responsible for 53 arrests, the recovery of 26 stolen motor vehicles and recovery of property to the value of almost £250,000.

“It is anticipated these figures will continue to rise.”

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(9)