By ADAM LAZZARI TEN people were arrested and 34 vehicles were seized across Cambridgeshire during a national police day of action. Officers were out on the roads using an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system to trace criminals using the county

By ADAM LAZZARI

TEN people were arrested and 34 vehicles were seized across Cambridgeshire during a national police day of action.

Officers were out on the roads using an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system to trace criminals using the county's roads.

Police worked their way around Wisbech and Peterborough and were also positioned at Sawtry Weighbridge and Worsted Lodge between 12pm-8pm on Friday.

The Wisbech Standard caught up with Insp Clinton Hale on Leverington Road, Wisbech during the afternoon.

He said: "This is very effective in catching all sorts of criminals. Most criminals don't care about things like road tax and MOT, so we stop someone for one thing and often arrest them for various other crimes."

Cameras were set up in police vans and the ANPR system works by scanning number plates.

This is then cross checked within 1.5 seconds with data on the Police National Computer.

It checks to see if the vehicle is taxed, insured or wanted in connection with a crime.

When a marker comes up on a vehicle, officers will stop the vehicle to investigate if an offence has been committed.

More than 100 officers took part in the Cambridgeshire operation supported by colleagues from Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk.

Insp Nick Church said: "ANPR technology is an excellent tool in denying criminals the use of the roads.

"In just eight hours we were able to check more than 34,000 vehicles.

"The links between untaxed vehicles, road offences and crimes are well documented which is why operations such as these are so important.

"We are on the county's roads on a daily basis and would warn anyone driving illegally to think twice."

The ten arrests were:

n Two for going equipped with items that could be used to commit a crime.

n One wanted person.

n One possession of an offensive weapon.

n Two for excess alcohol.

n Two attempted theft of a motor vehicle.

n One disqualified driver.

n One for drug offences.

Seventy six fixed penalty notices were issued for various motoring offences.

Thirty four vehicles were seized (18 for no insurance, 16 for other reasons such as no tax or the vehicle not being roadworthy).