£1m road camera outlay to tackle travelling criminals in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire’s police force has pledged to dramatically improve its coverage of the county’s roads with number-plate recognition technology in a bid to tackle gangs of criminals entering from other areas of the North.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Nov 2014, 00:50 BST
Julia Mulligan and North Yorkshire chief constable Dave JonesJulia Mulligan and North Yorkshire chief constable Dave Jones
Julia Mulligan and North Yorkshire chief constable Dave Jones

Police and crime commissioner Julia Mulligan today announced a £1 million investment in Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology, which she says will triple North Yorkshire Police’s capability in this area.

Currently, a quarter of all solved crimes in North Yorkshire are carried out by ‘cross-border criminals’ from areas including West Yorkshire and the Cleveland police force area.

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Despite being one of the safest areas in the country, North Yorkshire is thought to be vulnerable to criminals from other areas who take advantage of its large geography and road network.

Police say that as well as theft and rural crimes, cross-border criminals can be involved in a wide range of other offences, including child sexual exploitation.

The investment will allow the force to increase its coverage across the region, refine its intelligence team, and deploy officers proactively to disrupt criminals in their vehicles. The cost of the additional equipment will be around £1.06 million with ongoing revenue costs of around £186,000 per year. Extra staff will also be taken on.

Mrs Mulligan said: “Cross-border criminality is a major issue for North Yorkshire, as we border on so many other counties.”