POLICE have welcomed the launch of a computer database aimed at stamping out car crime.

The database, pioneered by the National Salvage Group, based in Darlington, contains details of more than half-a-million vehicles.

It can be used by police forces and insurance companies to provide instant details of vehicles written off in road accidents.

Such vehicles can be used by criminals to give stolen cars a new identity by taking their vehicle identification number (VIN) and documentation.

The stolen car is then sold on as a clean vehicle to an unsuspecting customer, a process known to criminals as car ringing.

It is hoped the database will help police forces across the country to track and identify vehicles that have been stolen, ringed or illegally broken up for parts.

A spokesman for County Durham police said: "We are very interested to learn of the launch of this database and will be evaluating its worth to police investigations.

"This may well prove to be a very valuable source of information for us."

The National Salvage Group, which has pioneered the database, is a representative trade body for operators in the salvage industry.

It says that it is the largest and most comprehensive database in the country containing details of vehicles certified for destruction and sold on for parts.

Thousands of cars and other vehicles can be scanned by entering a VIN and details of a registration plate.