By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
CASEY Highway Patrol is ready to roll out its latest squad car, which now has the technology to scan number plates instantly.
The new BlueNet vehicle – one of six state-wide – arrived at the Cranbourne precinct last week, and is the first of its kind to be trialled in Casey.
The BlueNet is the first police car in Australia to have an in-built Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system which allows it to scan number plates almost instantaneously and alert police if an unregistered or stolen car is driving past.
It can also identify whether there is an outstanding sheriff’s warrant linked to the suspect number plate, or whether the driver is unlicensed, disqualified or suspended.
The mobile data terminal allows police to quickly conduct licence and vehicle checks without the need for radio communication to see if the car is stolen.
Highway Patrol Unit Commander and Acting Senior Sergeant Pat Green praised the BlueNet’s ability to instantly “ping” a suspicious car.
“What it does is it automatically recognises a vehicle that is flagging for whatever reason,” he said.
“In normal cars, it’s hit and miss. They have a computer in a normal car, and you type in the rego – if blokes are on patrol they might type in a hundred regos.
“With the BlueNet, cars will be driving past it and if a car flags, it sends a signal to the BlueNet which alerts police that something is wrong.”
Cameras are mounted on the exterior of the BlueNet, with everything captured by the in-car video system.
The other five BlueNet cars are being deployed to the Highway Patrol units in Brimbank, Nunawading, Bendigo, Melbourne/Prahran and Frankston.
“We’ve seen a considerable increase in detection in other local government areas, including a huge increase in the detection of unregistered cars in Brimbank,” Acting Sen Sgt Green said.
In Brimbank, in the week from 22 to 28 June, a BlueNet car picked up 30 unregistered vehicles.
“We’ve heard of the evidence which suggests a link between road trauma and people driving unregistered or unlicensed cars,” Acting Sen Sgt Green said.
“If we can detect these people before they have an accident, if we can get those people off the road, then that should have a positive effect on road trauma in Casey.”
