By Belinda Nolan
ALMOST 100 people were caught breaking road laws during a one-day police blitz in St Albans last month.
Police used Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology and a booze bus on 14 April as part of Operation CAPS, an initiative aimed to crack down on dodgy drivers.
ANPR technology scans number plates at a rapid rate to identify unauthorised drivers within seconds.
Number plates are fed through a data base and police are alerted when a hit is made.
During the operation 98 people were caught for a range of offences including two drink drivers and 12 disqualified, suspended and unlicensed drivers.
Eight people were detected speeding, 10 failing to wear a seatbelt and 18 using their mobile phone while driving.
Police apprehended 22 people driving unroadworthy cars, while 17 were nabbed driving unregistered cars.
Another operation conducted around the city’s transport hubs on 13 April also yielded good results, including six arrests for public order offences and three people arrested for outstanding warrants. During Operation Engage, police also issued 30 penalty notices for a range of road and transit offences.
Officers questioned 85 people and conducted 69 vehicle checks.
Brimbank Police Inspector Michael Grainger said police were continually targeting Brimbank’s busy public transport areas to promote safety and police visability.
“It’s about creating an environment on public transport where people can feel increasingly confident in their safety,” Insp Grainger said.
