BOGUS callers have been brought to book thanks to a North-East police force's number plate reader.
The mobile Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) was used by Northumbria Police to target cowboy builders, disreputable door-to-door salespeople and those involved in distraction burglaries.
Officers were joined by the Benefits Agency, Customs and Excise, as well as vehicle examiners from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.
One operation last month led to nine arrests, nine vehicle prohibition notices and 15 people were reported for benefit fraud.
The ANPR system was deployed at various locations in Northumbria based on specific intelligence. It works by scanning number plates, which are matched against information in databases to identify vehicles of interest.
When a suspicious vehicle is identified it can be immediately intercepted by a waiting Motor Patrols car or motorcycle.
Detective Sergeant Jerry Pearson, who runs the system, said: " The system can be used in extremely focused and targeted ways so we can identify vehicles that would be of interest to us. In this instance, many of the people we stopped fitted the profile of those who commit these offences."
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