AUTOMATIC NUMBER PLATE RECOGNITION

Early day motion 588, tabled 28 January 2003 by Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour). Signed by 41 members.

That this House welcomes the success of automatic number plate recognition trials which have been undertaken by nine police forces in England and Wales; notes that during the 12 month trial the West Midlands Police Force alone was able to make 1662 arrests, and recovered stolen property worth more than ú500,000; further notes that through the targeted interception of vehicles involved with crime, the West Midlands Police Force saw successful arrest rates per officer of up to 100 arrests a year, almost 10 times the national average; and calls upon the Government to find the necessary funds so that this programme can be rolled out nationwide.

Signatures by party: Labour 32, Liberal Democrat 5, Labour/Co-operative 3, UUP 1.