Vehicle crime operation 'a success'
Date: 09/04/2008 12:00:00
A week-long police operation across Wales and the south-west has seen more than one hundred vehicles seized for being without car insurance cover.
Information from the Motor Insurers' Bureau was used by officers conducting Operation Utah on the lookout for criminals, stopping more than 900 vehicles over the duration of the initiative.
Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology was used to spot those breaking the law.
Gold Commander of the operation, Chief Superintendent Lawrie Lewis, said that the campaign had been successful as a result of the teamwork involved - nine police forces and seven partnership agencies were involved in the operation.
"With ANPR, there is literally nowhere to hide - we use mobile as well as fixed units, meaning criminals can never second guess when we are watching. The net is closing in on mobile criminals in Wales and the west country," he added.
Details picked up via ANPR cameras can be checked against various databases, including the Police National Computer and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.