New technology to prevent crime in Bassetlaw will be coming into force soon.

Nottinghamshire Police is in the process of installing a series of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras on major routes in and out of the area.

The cameras, which will be installed temporarily, are joint-funded by Nottinghamshire Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner and Nottinghamshire County Council’s Community Safety Committee.

The cameras will be overtly positioned on roads and will electronically read the number plates of vehicles as they pass.

The information will help reduce the number of burglaries in rural villages and help catch offenders.

This comes after a successful similar project in another area on Nottinghamshire to combat high levels of burglary.

Research shows that in the first year of the cameras being installed in Ashfield, there was a reduction in burglaries of 36% in the area, with a further 41% drop between 2014/15.

The Information Commissioners Office inspected the use of the cameras in 2014 and recommended them as national best practice.

Neil Bellamy, the district commander for Bassetlaw, said: “Having seen the success the cameras have had in reducing crime in Ashfield south, I am confident that this tool will help catch offenders in Bassetlaw.

“I would also like to stress to the people of Bassetlaw that these cameras can only be used for the prevention of crime and detecting vehicles without insurance or MOT. Our actions will be proportionate and lawful at all times, and once the cameras are no longer necessary we will remove them.”

DCI Andy Gowan, leading the project, said: “We have already seen how our cameras have been successful in helping to cut similar crime in other areas of Nottinghamshire and believe it will make a valuable difference to policing in the area.

“The ANPR shield is there to help us protect our rural community from criminal road users.”

Research has shown that whilst crime in Bassetlaw is amongst the lowest in the county, burglaries continue to remain an issue.

In November 2015, there were 84 reports of burglary in the area.

As well as providing a visual deterrent, the cameras will lead to prevention of further offences as well as acting as a tool for police to target offenders travelling into the area.

It will be used for different locations in the Bassetlaw area – ensuring a long term benefit for the community.

A police spokesman said the cameras will only be used to review vehicles that are suspected of being involved in crime or are being used by criminals.

In all other cases any information the cameras collect is stored securely and is automatically deleted if it isn’t required after a period of time.

The data isn’t shared with any other agency or body unless it is to do with crime prevention or detection. The cameras will not be used for speed enforcement.

Paddy Tipping, Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, who supports the project, said: “It’s important that we use every device at our disposal to tackle crime and ANPR technology is proven to be one of the most effective tools we have when it comes to disrupting criminal activity.

“I believe that this scheme will both deter people from committing crime in the first place and help us catch those who are reckless enough to try.”

MAV IQ – Intelligent ANPR Camera

Source: Worksop Chronicle

The MAV IQ Intelligent ANPR camera is continually being updated to provide partners with further capabilities and system setup options.

To simplify the back office integration of our flagship Intelligent ANPR camera, the MAV IQ, we have increased the number of communication channels for our ‘Store and Forward’ data management feature. This now includes a choice of 3 different transmission protocols. The support of industry standard UTMC and FTP formats provide seamless linkage to existing systems and ensures an easy and accurate set up or substitution.

However, the primary bearer for the IQ is our extensible JSON format which provides a wealth of enhanced information fields with each ANPR data capture, enabling the expansion of your application features to provide you with a competitive edge previously unattainable.

Our truEZoom™ technology simplifies the MAV IQ installation process:

• Only one person is required to set the camera and start to receive perfectly focused images in any lighting conditions
• Simply by setting the distance and lane width then pressing the ’set’ button on the webpage, the IQ sets the zoom and focus for both the ANPR and Overview cameras so that you will start to work immediately

These are only some of the reasons that the MAV IQ provides superior quality and performance, review the camera yourself by visiting the product page.

A part-time firefighter has admitted plotting a series of blazes across Shropshire and Staffordshire. The part-time firefighter, 31, admitted conspiring to damage property by fire between 29 June 2014 and 3 September 2014.

He will be sentenced in the new year after psychiatric reports.  A  36-year-old colleague from Albrighton, also faced the charges but was found dead days before a previous court appearance.

Both fire-fighters were with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service with and whilst based at Minsterley fire station during the summer of 2014, one of the fire-fighters was amongst the first on the scene at arson attacks, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
The police automatic number plate recognition system and one of the fire-fighters’ mobile phone location put him in the vicinity of the fires before the emergency services were called.

Emily Lenham, from West Midlands CPS, said: “Through his deliberate and callous actions, a man entrusted by the fire service to protect the public from the dangers of fire, not only damaged property belonging to others but also placed his colleagues and the victims of the fires, some of whom were known to him, at risk of harm.

“It is evident that he gained personal satisfaction and enjoyment from setting the fires and causing damage to property which, given his position as a firefighter, presents a substantial breach of trust.”

source: BBC News

A total of 4,752 vehicles including cars, motorbikes and mopeds have been seized since ‘Cars Behind Bars’ launched more than two years ago.

The scheme uses an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system which is able to identify those flouting the law.
Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said the crackdown was a huge success and said it would continue its ‘momentum’ to track drivers breaking the law.

“The crackdown on insurance dodgers remains far and away the most popular thing raised with me by people I’ve spoken to across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent,” he said “Over 4,750 people have had to learn their lesson the hard way thanks to tremendous work by officers from Staffordshire Police – which has really gained momentum in recent months.

“Those who drive without insurance can’t hide in Staffordshire. They are being caught and dealt with by having their vehicles seized and, in many cases, scrapped or sold at auction. “It’s definitely struck a chord with law-abiding motorists who are hit by rising premiums because of these law-breakers. Why should all pay more because some people don’t pay at all?”

“It’s about fairness for law-abiding motorists who are hit by rising premiums because of these law breakers.
“People who drive without insurance have nowhere to hide. They are being caught and dealt with by having their cars seized and, in some cases, scrapped.”

As well as stopping those breaking the law, the cars are also doing their bit for the good of community with more than 125 higher-value uninsured vehicles sold off at auction with the proceeds going back into local communities in Staffordshire.

Assistant chief constable Jon Drake, from Staffordshire Police, added: “Thanks to Staffordshire’s extensive ANPR network system we are able to identify vehicles that are uninsured, as well as those that have no tax or are suspected of being involved in other crimes.
“We are committed to this area of policing and on a daily basis our officers seek out and target those committing these offences. ANPR is a vital tool in our crime-fighting armoury, as all too often those who choose to drive on our roads without insurance are linked to other criminal offences such as theft and burglary.”

For more information about the scheme visit www.staffordshire.police.uk/carsbehindbars

Source: Express & Star

PRODUCT UPDATE

The Rapier 50IQ Intelligent ANPR camera is continually being updated to provide you with further capabilities and system setup options.

To simplify the back office integration of our flagship Intelligent ANPR camera, Rapier 50IQ, we have increased the number of communication channels for our ‘Store and Forward’ data management feature. This now includes a choice of 3 different transmission protocols. The support of industry standard UTMC and FTP formats provide seamless linkage to existing systems and ensures an easy and accurate set up or substitution.

However, the primary bearer for the IQ is our extensible JSON format which provides a wealth of enhanced information fields with each ANPR data capture, enabling the expansion of your application features to provide you with a competitive edge previously unattainable.

This has now been added to the long list of capabilities that makes the Rapier 50IQ the leading Intelligent ANPR camera in the market. To read more about the camera specifications view the product page

Seven days of intensive activity as part of Operation Hawk has seen 21 people arrested across North Yorkshire thanks to live-time ANPR intelligence.

​North Yorkshire Police’s two Road Crime Teams joined forces with Neighbourhood Support Teams and other specialist resources to disrupt travelling criminals.

​From Monday 7 September through to Monday 14 September, officers took part in the latest in a series of operations to tackle cross-border criminality.

The force’s new ANPR Hub co-ordinated and controlled resources on a daily basis, using live-time ANPR notifications as well the latest intelligence to target suspicious individuals and vehicles.

​In just seven days, officers working on Operation Hawk made 21 arrests and seized nine vehicles. In addition, 22 vehicles were searched, 37 people searched and 11 people issued with fixed penalty notices or reported for summons.

Source: Minster FM

MAV are proud to announce a further development of their groundbreaking Rapier 50IQ Intelligent ANPR camera. To provide our partners with the easiest of set-up, truEZoom™ has now been added to provide further camera set-up functionality.

The background to this needs some explanation as it is not always obvious why truEZoom™ would be useful until you have personally seen how hard systems are to set up without it! When working with any photographic images from moving vehicles it is important to get the target field of view (image width) and depth of field (focus) correct. If we use almost any camera, we are used to the idea of AutoFocus and AutoExposure. That’s great when the thing you want to photograph is static and well lit. Now consider you are up a roadside gantry or pole trying to work out whether the passing vehicles are in focus when they fly by at 70 mph. The truth is that without some assistance or luck, setting up a zoom or varifocal camera is immensely hard to do on site, especially when alone. Even with a colleague who may stand in the road holding a sample plate, that’s a risk assessment nightmare and adds the cost of another member of staff on site. Try this at night and the problem becomes even harder – and night-time setup is required for almost all mobile deployments. Enter truEZoom™

truEZoom™ takes all the effort away from the installation process, it makes everything easy or EZ if you will:

• Only one person is required to set the camera and start to receive perfectly focused images
• Flexible target distance, simply setting the distance and pressing the ‘go’ button on the MAV application sets the zoom, focus and shutter speeds for both the ANPR and Overview cameras so that you will start to work immediately
• Fine adjustment is easy with the ability to trim the focus, step the zoom in/out and adjust the brightness of the image with a press of the on-screen buttons
• truEZoom™ even assists getting the right combination of settings for the iris and gain of the camera to ensure your depth of focus is maximised without introducing noise into the image
• One press of the Save to preset and the job is done!truEZoom™ makes setup easy. Simple installs mean lower costs and higher productivity.

It is a well-known fact that there are a number of motorists that continue to drive across level crossings after the ‘wig wag’ stop lights have been activated. These drivers are placing themselves, their passengers and the staff and passengers on the trains at risk of serious injury or even death. Coupled with this is the inconvenience to passengers and the expense of getting the rail line back into operation after an incident.

As part of Network Rail’s National Level Crossing Programme, the Red Light Safety equipment (RLSe) project looks to tackle this pressing safety issue using an innovative system at some of the UK’s highest risk level crossings. 28 safety cameras have already been installed at level crossings across the nation to help deter motorists from taking unnecessary risks such as jumping red lights or weaving around barriers to save time.

The cameras – in distinctive hi- visibility enclosures – will be used more extensively if they prove successful in making crossings even safer. They automatically capture evidence data, digital images and video of motorists breaching the stop lines after the red warning lights have been switched on using a combination of scanning radar, advanced computer video analytics and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) for the detection of offences. This unattended and fully automatic process carries on 24 hours a day without the need for a police officer or any human intervention at the crossing.

The evidence information they provide will be used to directly prosecute drivers who fail to comply with the stop signals using a brand new collaborative procedure between the British Transport Police, Network Rail and offence processing partners at the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership.

Jumping red lights or weaving around barriers is already a breach of the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act, but can usually only be enforced if a police officer is on site or witnesses the event. The new Home Office type-approved cameras (HOTA) could prove to be a game changer as they can be deployed safe in the knowledge that the evidence they produce can be used directly for prosecution purposes without additional and time consuming, police intervention or investigation in most cases.

Source: Rail Engineer