ANPR network aids drug harm work

An ANPR operation which took place yesterday afternoon (July 5) secured some great results as part of Northamptonshire Police’s week of action against drug harm.

ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition - reads the registration of passing vehicles and checks them across several databases, raising the alert if a vehicle is stolen, linked to crime/intelligence or doesn’t have the correct documentation.

The Force’s ANPR network has more than doubled in recent years with just over 150 additional new cameras installed since 2020, increasing coverage across rural areas and major towns as well as on the county borders.

The operation focused on North Northamptonshire and ran from 2pm-10pm with three arrests made, seven intelligence logs created, six stop searches and three vehicle searches, as well drugs and a knife seized.

As part of the operation, 38-year-old Andrew Jonathan Shanks, of Kettering, was charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place.

Other good results included a man being arrested for breaching a domestic violence prevention order and a man being arrested for drug driving.

Chief Inspector Nathan Murray, said: “We want to utilise all of our resources as part of this week of action and our ANPR network is a truly invaluable asset in order to bring the fight back to the criminals.

“This operation shows our proactive capability in finding people who would look to use the roads to commit crime and I hope it sends a clear message to others out there wanting to do the same.

“Lastly, whilst we of course collect intelligence on suspicious vehicles ourselves, we would also ask the community to continue to be our eyes on the ground and report anything out of place that they see to either ourselves or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

“You can do this completely anonymously as we don’t need to know who you are, just what you know. If you think any vehicles are connected to drug dealing or any other offences, please do get in contact.”