Vehicle cameras in fight on crime

The suspected criminals and their hauls of class A substances, such as heroin, were some of the first victims of the advanced technology.

The automatic number plate recognition system has led to arrests, described by Inspector John Merrick as '˜well into double figures' since it came into use about two months ago.

Its location has never been officially revealed but sharp-eyed motorists can see the set of six cameras on the A259 in the Felpham area.

A further two fixed sets of cameras are due to come into use next week.

They will ensure that all the main routes in and out of Bognor are covered by the hi-tech lenses.

A mobile unit is also being provided to enable the police to ensure criminals are unable to dodge the cameras by using other roads. Some cameras will cover traffic moving in both directions. Others will have the ability to focus on just one direction.

Insp Merrick said the single existing system had more than proved its worth in just eight weeks.

Between 450-480 hits were being registered every day from passing vehicles which raised suspicions when their details were compared to the police national computer.

Some of the instances referred to suspected burglars as well as dealers. Others concerned a lack of insurance or tax or stolen number plates.

'Of those hits, probably about 100 are really quality ones for us.

'These are about the likes of people dealing in class A drugs or wanted for burglaries, particularly of distraction burglaries.

'We have also been able to arrest people for crimes committed outside our area,' said Insp Merrick.

'These are the sort of people who we want to stop travelling around Bognor. Our aim is to deny criminals the use of the roads and to deprive them of the ability to come in and out of Bognor to carry on their unlawful activities.

'We want to have an impact on what they do. Because the system is now in use around Sussex, and elswhere in the country, we can track motorists from further afield as well.

'But we are not concerned with drivers travelling to and from work and other motorists going about their private lawful business.'

The powerful computer behind the scanners links instantly with the police database with its records about suspects and vehicle details.

It takes one second for a scanner to read a numberplate and highlight a reason to the camera operator why a particular vehicle or its occupant might be wanted.

The police response is graded according to the crime alleged to have been committed.

The existing active camera also shows the sheer volume of traffic along the A259 through Felpham.

The one week between May 13 midnight and 9am on May 21 saw an astounding 136,268 vehicles pass the scanner. Of those, 3,498 generated responses from the equipment.

Some, though, are found to be false alarms because the scanner has slightly misread a number plate.