Northants Police chief's ANPR 'ring of steel' proves its worth

A doubling of Northamptonshire’s ANPR network has formed a 'ring of steel' around the county, bringing 340 arrests in its first eight months.

Northants Police's ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition - reads the registration of passing vehicles and checks them across several databases, raising the alert if a vehicle is stolen or linked to crime.

The £1.3m investment bringing 150 cameras online has achieved significant results with 340 arrests made, 627 vehicle seizures, 310 intelligence-led searches, and 1,026 traffic offences identified.

Chief Constable Nick Adderley said: “In the eight months since we began installing these 150 cameras ANPR, and the team which sits behind it, have proven their worth several times over.

“Without their capability, many of the arrests we have made here simply would not have happened and others would have taken hours and hours of time and resource, not to mention lengthy and anxious waits for the victims.

“Increasing our ANPR capability has not only enabled us to put a ring of steel around the county to prevent and detect crime, but it also enables us to better protect vulnerable people. I look forward to more good results.”

In December 2020, Mr Adderley and Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold announced that 150 camera sites would be installed across Northamptonshire to increase coverage across rural areas and major towns as well as on the county borders.

Some of the results include:

• In February 2021, intelligence led to a taxi being stopped in Northampton. Officers searched the vehicle and the occupants, discovering a large amount of both Class A and B drugs. In total 108 wraps of Class A drugs with an estimated street value of £6,000 and £1,300 in cash was seized and taken off the streets of Northamptonshire. Two men were arrested following the stop.

• In April, 2021, six males entered a property in Kettering armed with machetes and forced the victim to hand over nearly £2,000 in cash and other high-value items. Enquiries by officers identified a vehicle believed to be involved in the offence. The vehicle activated ANPR and subsequently failed to stop for officers. With help from a police dog handler the man was found and arrested.

• In May 2021, a property was burgled, and several firearms, items of jewellery and a quantity of cash were stolen. A male was identified through police inquires and his vehicle added to ANPR systems. The vehicle was subsequently stopped by officers and the suspect arrested for burglary.

• In May 2021, a vehicle linked to multiple thefts of purses from elderly victims in the Lincolnshire area activated a camera entering Northamptonshire. Officers responded to the ANPR hit and managed to stop it in Welford Road, Northampton. Three men were arrested and taken into custody.

• In June 2021, police received reports of an 'altercation' in Northampton. Officers attended and found a male with multiple stab wounds. Quick actions by officers at the scene identified a vehicle that had been used in the offence. The vehicle’s registration was added to the ANPR system which was then subsequently stopped by armed officers. One male in the vehicle was arrested for grievous bodily harm.

• In July 2021, one of the new ANPR officers identified a vehicle containing a missing 15-year-old girl at risk of child sexual exploitation which was stopped and found her to be in company with a man in his 60s. He was arrested for child abduction.

Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said: “The results that have been achieved through our investment in additional ANPR capacity speak for themselves. These additional ANPR cameras and staff members are a fantastic resource, supporting Northamptonshire Police officers and staff in their work to target people who come to the county to commit crime and cause harm.

“These success stories show how the appropriate use of technology is helping Northamptonshire Police to deny criminals the use our county’s roads. Good work is taking place across the county to prevent crime and support victims, and I am pleased to see that our investment in ANPR is playing an important part in making Northamptonshire safer.”