Police praise plate-checking

The camera allows police to check the car's details

Nottinghamshire Police say they have arrested more people by checking number plates than any other force in the country.

The number plates are checked in a national database showing whether the car is stolen and whether it is taxed.

The number plate recognition team in Nottinghamshire has made more arrests using the system than all 22 other forces involved in this pilot project.

A camera carried in police cars enables officers to check the background of a vehicle without having to stop the driver.

Since it was installed in Nottinghamshire five months ago, 23% of all cars stopped using the plate-checking system have resulted in an arrest.

The team has also recovered £200,000 of stolen property and an estimated £21,000 of illegal drugs.

A police spokesman said as many as 13 people had been arrested in one day using the plate-checking system.