UK police officers from the Weymouth and Portland area conducted a stop and search of a vehicle suspected of being involved in the “bulk theft” of printer cartridges. Two arrested.
Responding to an ANPR trigger, police officers from the Weymouth and Portland area were tasked with a stop and search of the suspected vehicle where the search found printer cartridges worth “several hundreds” of pounds on 19 October.
A police social media statement said: “Two occupants were detained, they and the vehicle were searched and a large quantity of printer cartridges to the value of several hundreds of pounds recovered. Two males have been arrested and are currently assisting with enquiries.”
In the United Kingdom the police use ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology to help detect, deter and disrupt criminal activity, including travelling criminals (those using the road network to avoid being caught), organised crime groups and terrorists.
How it works – As a vehicle passes an ANPR camera, its registration number is read and instantly checked against database records of vehicles of interest. Police officers can stop a flagged vehicle, speak to the occupants and, where necessary, make arrests.
ANPR has proved to be important in the detection of many offences, including locating, for example, people wanted for arrest or missing, witnesses, stolen vehicles, uninsured vehicles and uncovering cases of major crime.
