Criminals can't hide on Brent Roads

It seems that with every new technology, so comes a new twist to crime. Often, it can be a leg up for the criminals but a new scheme introduced across Brent is helping the Police to keep our streets safe.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) does what it says on the tin: a camera placed by the roadside automatically checks vehicle registration numbers against various computer databases. If there’s no match, the cars are allowed to drive on without stopping. Stolen vehicles, or those involved in a crime, will be identified and asked to pull over.

One of Brent’s first ANPR operation took place on Friday 11 July, with officers from across the Metropolitan Police Service assisting the local Brent Police. Plenty of people were out enjoying the Mediterranean style weather and many were curious as to what was happening. As "stop and search" type operations have caused friction between the community and the Police in the past, the Met were keen to explain to people what they were doing.

Thanks to its link with the Police National Computer, the DVLA database and local intelligence databases, ANPR operations are highly targeted. The focus for Brent’s first ANPR operation was on weapons and drugs offences, although officers were also on the look out for relatively minor offences, such as car tax evasion.

In charge of the operation was Superintendent Steve Brown. He was keen to point out the benefits that such operations have for Brent, "This is sending out a very visible message to all those living and working within Brent that the Police will not tolerate the carrying of weapons. This is one of a number of initiatives that are planned in the coming months. We have the community’s support in these initiatives and we thank those representatives who take the time to discuss and advise us on the community impact."

Although no arrests were made during the operation, the Police were able to show that they are actively working to make the streets of Brent safer for all of us.

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The people of Brent want the Police and local authority to:

• crack down on gun related crime
• deter the carrying of all types of weapon, in Brent.

This operation is part of a prolonged campaign covering the whole borough.

The Police are working with the community and local authority to make Brent a safer place for all those who live, work and travel through the borough.

We apologise for any disruption and inconvenience caused during thus initiative.