New camera checks rego in a flash.

[Charliewool]

Taken from Northern Star (Ballina, Byron)... Scarey stuff.

NEXT time you drive past a couple of cops with a camera it might not be just your speed they’re checking.

New Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) also allows them to instantly check the car’s registration to find out if it has been stolen.

And NSW’s first large-scale campaign using the device, conducted by the TweedByron highway patrol last month, has had staggering results.

During operation Legitimate, police issued 1005 infringements and laid 195 charges for offences including unlicensed driving, unregistered vehicles, suspended driving and drink driving.



Byron highway patrol’s Sergeant Greg Swindells said he was ‘overawed’ by the results of the operation.

"When you’re detecting people driving unregistered vehicles, that often goes hand-in-hand with detecting a range of other offences too," said Sgt Swindells.

"We saw a huge increase in the number of offences we detected over what we’d normally get.

"If you drive past and your plates check out, fine then happy days, off you go.

"But if you’re driving an unregistered or stolen car, then we’ll have a car off to intercept you straight away.

"It’s also useful to detect people who have put stolen plates on their car."

Each unit involved in operation Legitimate comprised five officers — two stationary to man the ANPR and three in patrol cars — enabling them to chase down every offender.

ANPR can be used on a fixed mount or, as in this case, a portable tripod and can check one number plate every second on cars going up to 160km/h.

The ANPR’s camera is linked to a laptop, which uses image recognition technology to decipher the characters in the number plate. It then consults an online database to see whether the car is registered or stolen.

Now that Tweed-Byron has had its turn with the device, it is off to do checks in an un-named command — but it will be back.

"We’ll be using it periodically in the command — but we’re not going to say when," Sgt Swindells said.

[DJM83]

Bastards

[Panda]

Originally Posted by charliewool

... Scarey stuff...

...police issued 1005 infringements and laid 195 charges for offences including unlicensed driving, unregistered vehicles, suspended driving and drink driving....

Getting the unregistered or stolen cars etc off the road doesn't seem too scary to me.

Panda

[flappist]

I wonder how clever it is with interstate plates?

A friend of my brother was visiting a few months ago in his "hoon spec" LS1 fitted with personalised plates. One of the pimply faced youths in police uniforms (we have a training station here) pulled him over and was giving him a hard time because he had been reported last weekend on crime stoppers for hooning in Maryborough. The pimply faced youth was is super hero mode and was about to arrest the "criminal" for unregistered vehicle (The QV said the car was a skyline and the plates were on a commodore) and a whole lot of other trumped up charges when the hooning was denied repeatedly as he was not in Maryborough last weekend and tempers started flaring.

Fortunately a more senior copper came over, listened to the story, looked closely at the car and licence, radioed for another QV, apologised to the "criminal" and then explained to the pimply faced youth that the NSW on the personalised plates meant "New South Wales" and it is possible to have the same number plate as a QLD one......

[rennie]

thats an awesome idea. stops people driving when they shouldnt be, stolen car preventative. A positive move I say.

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by Panda

Getting the unregistered or stolen cars etc off the road doesn't seem too scary to me.

Panda

The "scary" bit was more a reference to the "Big Brother" type technology, and how far reaching it could become!
I have NOTHING against ANY methods used to nab car thiefs etc.

[VSSII]

Anything which nabs car thieves is great. I don't care if they check my rego. I have nothing to hide. And there's nothing worse than getting hit by someone with no insurance. Go get 'em!

[Falcon Coupe]

"But if you’re driving an unregistered or stolen car, then we’ll have a car off to intercept you straight away.

I think this is a great idea, much easier to catch the undesirable type road user.

[Walkinshaw]

This has been in use in Adelaide for 6-12months now. Fantastic idea.

[Outbackjack]

Who cares about the registration!!! Its the compulsory third party insurance that is the big one. Registration is just another government fee. The insurance protects other road users in case of a prang.

[Bucknaked]

Thats been in use in Canberra for a few years now. Pay your rego, no drama's

[Dezza]

While I am against speed cameras, I have no concerns with using them to catch stolen cars. I'd prefer to see the car thieves caught and locked away rather than people being booked for doing 3kms over the speed limit. Thieves have absolutely no respect for the owner of the car, and I have no respect for them.

[Pedro]

I'm dead against revenue raising speed cameras, but I think those ANPR cameras a great idea. I'm sick to death of thieves, unlicenced drivers, morons driving unregistered cars etc.. All of these richard craniums represent a threat to us in raised insurance premiums and the like as we go about driving lawfully.

And as for the "big brother" aspect, I'm of the opinion that the civil libertarians have lost touch with reality. When surveillance cameras were put up in the Brisbane Queen St Mall, the CL's jumped up and down claiming they were being spied on, but if you're not breaking the law, you've got nothing to worry about and I think it's comforting to know that there's someone watching in an area that's proved to be dangerous at times..

[deesun]

There's been 2 threads on this before and I would have thought charlie would have seen one having been around long enough but you can't read 'em all. Those here in this thread seem to have the same opinion as those previously expressed by others.

[T_Terror]

You do realise that a big part of the why the gov cant wait to use them is so they can pick up people with outstanding fines too?

Just like those SafeT Cams on the Geelong Hwy were originally used for trucks, but now capture cars for point to point speeding instead.

I do love the stopping stolen cars point though

[RegSpec]

Originally Posted by Outbackjack

Who cares about the registration!!! Its the compulsory third party insurance that is the big one. Registration is just another government fee. The insurance protects other road users in case of a prang.

ANY insurer will drop you like a hot scone if.....
1 Unlicensed or disqualified driver
2 Unregistered vehicle
3 Driving whilst ****ed

[Sorted]

Love this camera, get all of those unregistered, uninsured cars off the road.

Uninsured in 2 ways Third Party Liability (Person)
Third Party Liability (Property)

Anyway if they don't register their car they wouldn't be paying for third party liability (property) insurance

Thumbs up to the inventor :

[quest]

They have been using the system in North America for quite a few years now for toll roads.
All the States & Provences are now co-operating with billing.
There are no gates or people at a toll entrance or exit ,just cameras and you get billed through the mail
Dont pay on time & you can't get your licence renewed until you do + a fine

[Steffo]

Originally Posted by DRHEMI

Love this camera, get all of those unregistered, uninsured cars off the road.

Uninsured in 2 ways Third Party Liability (Person)
Third Party Liability (Property)

Anyway if they don't register their car they wouldn't be paying for third party liability (property) insurance

Thumbs up to the inventor :

CTP (Compulsory Third Party) in NSW at least, only applies for person cover. Property is optional and not required by law.

[troppo]

A good idea. May as well have the uniforms being of some small use while they are out busily collecting revenue. Had to smile at the name of the revenue collector featured though...it's a swindle all right.

[Sorted]

Originally Posted by Steffo

CTP (Compulsory Third Party) in NSW at least, only applies for person cover. Property is optional and not required by law.

Steffo thats what I meant

If anyone is driving an un-registered car they wouldnt bother getting third party liabilty property cover