Devon and Cornwall Constabulary is using a virtual private network (VPN) to extend the reach of number plate scanning systems and catch criminals on the road.
The VPN is being used to run the west country force's automated number plate recognition (ANPR) system which uses a camera to read vehicle's registration numbers.
The scanned registration is instantly sent back to the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency database and the Police National Computer to discover if it has cinsurance or tax and whether it is known to be stolen.
The Ntl:telewest Business-supplied VPN effectively extends the reach of the five cameras in the Devon and Cornwall system and allows them to work all the time, day and night.
Alongside ANPR equipped police units that patrol the main strategic road network, the cameras will reduce crime and increase public reassurance, says the head of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary’s ANPR unit Inspector Andrew Hamilton.
'The IPVPN network from ntl:Telewest Business will transform the way our team works by enabling us to monitor vehicles 24 hours a day, from our operations centre and deploy near-by police car as quickly as possible,' he said.
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