Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster has announced investment worth £28k into a new joint ANPR pilot scheme to detect crime and bring more offenders to justice.
This will be in addition to another £52k which the Commissioner will be investing in fixed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed in priority areas throughout Derbyshire and Derby City.
The Commissioner's new pilot scheme will see re-deployable ANPR cameras moved to selected locations through the north of the county to identify criminality and target criminals using the roads to commit their illegal activities.
The Commissioner is working in partnership with town and parish councils on the scheme and is actively consulting councillors to understand the issues impacting local areas to identify where cameras would be best located.
The expansion of ANPR across the county is already paying dividends. In a recent case, roads policing officers operating in the High Peak area were able to track the movements of a Class A drug dealer who was using a new hire vehicle for his activities to remain under the radar.
Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster said: "We expects offenders to be caught and punished for their crimes and this technology will help the police to do exactly that. There are many examples of success from the ANPR devices already installed across the county and I am determined for the excellent work to continue.
"I am committed to work closely with our town and parish councillors , who often know their areas better than anybody else and understand the key issues their communities face. I am keen to roll out this pilot in partnership with them. Together, we will build a network of cameras around our most vulnerable crime hotspots to root out the criminals that are making our roads, streets and public spaces unsafe. I want to make Derbyshire the safest place to live in the country."
ANPR cameras read the registration of passing vehicles and instantly check them across several databases to identify whether a vehicle is stolen or linked to crime. It allows officers to track the movements of suspects.
Data captured by the network also helps to build an intelligence picture and assist police in their day-to-day enquiries while supporting the investigation of serious offences by specialist units. It also provides opportunities to gather evidence and maximise detection.