The latest road safety technology available to Tasmania Police is delivering outstanding results in detecting driving offences.

An Automatic Number Plate Recognition camera has been deployed in each police district since September.  To date more than 1598 road safety offences have been enforced.  They include more than 1095 unregistered vehicles, 184 people driving without a licence, more than 240 disqualified drivers and 100 people detected in relation to other offences.

The ANPR cameras are mounted on the roof of the police vehicle and scan the number plates of passing cars.  It matches the information against a “watch list” made up of vehicles reported stolen or with expired registration, vehicles owned by people whose licence has expired or been disqualified, and vehicles owned by persons of interest in relation to other matters.

When a registration number from the watchlist is detected, a message appears on a screen to prompt an interception by police.

“Among the detections for unregistered vehicles have been several taxis and trucks,” said the Commissioner of Police, Darren Hine. 

“There have also been several instances of employees unknowingly driving company cars that are not registered.   Business owners are encouraged to ensure their vehicles have current registration,” he said.

“ANPR is proving to be an effective and efficient tool in enforcing traffic law compliance, improving safety on the roads, and other policing purposes such as identifying those wanted on warrants.”

The Minister for Police and Emergency Management, Lin Thorp, said she was pleased that the Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras have already proven to be an effective tool for Tasmania Police.

“The Government is committed to keeping our roads safe,” she said.

“It’s encouraging to know that in the short time these ANPR cameras have been in place, they are proving their worth – by helping to keep unregistered vehicles and disqualified drivers off the road.”

Tasmania Police Media
(03) 6230 2296