CLEVELAND Police has been hailed as one of the most effective forces for its use of number plate recognition technology.

The Association of Chief Police Officers’ national lead on Automated Number Plate Recognition technology (ANPR) Chief Constable Frank Whitely, has praised Cleveland’s officers for a 23 per cent increase in the number of uninsured vehicles removed from the roads.

Acting Inspector Jason Wathes, who heads the ANPR team, said: "This increase reflects our tremendous efforts and commitment to eradicating the danger caused by uninsured drivers.

"We invariably find that drivers without insurance have no respect for traffic law and in many cases of those stopped for having no insurance, other criminal offences have come to light.

"However, stopping drivers who have no insurance is only one element of the work the ANPR unit carries out. The Roads Policing Unit and district officers have played an important part in achieving these results by utilising ANPR alongside other operations."

The ANPR team works closely with other specialist units within Cleveland Police and has been involved in the recovery of thousands of pounds worth of drugs and stolen property when stopping vehicles on Cleveland’s roads. In 2007 and 2008, 359 arrests were made, the majority relating to criminal activity.

Recently the team have assisted in operations to tackle metal theft, distraction burglaries and to target anti-social drivers on the roads and in car parks.