Staffordshire County Council is extending its joint working with the police. It’s agreed to jointly fund the installation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology across the county. The cameras will now go up on main routes across Staffordshire to combat travelling criminals as well as motorists who do not tax or insure their vehicles.
According to the authorities crime in Staffordshire fell by 5,000 offences – or 7 per cent – in the last 12 months. The cameras will be in place by September with the County Council providing a one-off payment of £199,000 to fund half of the project.
Robbie Marshall, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Community Safety, said:“We are strengthening our partnership with the police to make Staffordshire even safer. Our message to criminals is clear – we are on to you, whether they are trying to get away without a tax disc or are intent on coming to Staffordshire to cause trouble.
“Crime is falling in Staffordshire but with this additional tool at our disposal, we are fully committed to reducing it even further.
“This is one of a number of measures we will be introducing with partners including the police to reduce crime and fear of crime, so that people in Staffordshire can live safely.”
And Chief Supt Jon Drake, County Policing Commander, said: “This initiative will continue to push our message to criminals; they are not welcome in the county.
“This technology, combined with an intelligence-led approach, will help us stop many criminals from targeting the county and allow us to track and catch those who do. Our latest figures show crime in the county is falling but we are committed to working with our partners to further cut crime.”
