Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology is helping police quickly spot drivers who are not legally allowed to be on the road.
The system scans licence plates and checks them against police databases for issues such as suspended licences or vehicle alerts. If a problem is found, officers receive a notification while on patrol.
Barrie police say the system recently helped locate a driver with a suspended licence. On Monday around 9:15 a.m., an officer received an alert about a vehicle linked to a possible suspended driver travelling north on Anne Street North.
Police say the officer turned around to stop the vehicle, but it continued driving, weaving through traffic before turning onto Sunnidale Road and pulling into a parking lot.
Officers found a man in the driver’s seat and a woman in the passenger seat. Police say the man claimed he was not driving, but officers said they saw the vehicle moving before it entered the lot.
Images from the licence plate recognition system also confirmed the vehicle and plate. Investigators later determined the driver was operating the vehicle while his licence was suspended.
A 40-year-old Barrie man now faces several charges, including driving while under suspension, failing to stop for police, driving without a valid permit and driving without insurance.
