Scotland Yard is planning a “spider’s web” of spy cameras to detect criminals on London’s roads.
Police are doubling the number of patrol cars equipped with automatic number plate recognition cameras to target uninsured drivers and other offenders. They are also in talks to fit the technology to Transport for London’s network of 1,200 CCTV cameras to make it almost impossible for criminals to drive in central London without being spotted.
Senior officers want ANPR cameras — which also alert them to vehicles un-taxed or suspected of involvement in crime — installed at petrol stations and car parks.
The initiative will see 238 patrol cars fitted with the cameras by the end of the year. They include a fleet of marked Volvo estates bearing the words “ANPR Interceptor”. A Met spokesman said: “We want to create almost a spider’s web of cameras to tackle criminal networks and terrorists.”
Police expect to make about 4,500 “interventions” a month which could result in 250 arrests a month.
