Police to make pitch for more licence plate readers

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This article was published 29/11/2011 (5298 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City police will appear before a City Hall committee this Friday to speak about getting two more machines designed to nab high-risk drivers.

The report to the city’s Protection and Community Services Committee is on two new automated licence plate readers for the Winnipeg Police Service. Plate readers are used by traffic police to scan hundreds of licence plates, using special software to weed out those reported stolen or flagged for other reasons.

The report says Manitoba Public Insurance will provide up to $60,000 to purchase the plate readers.

The city will be responsible for any repairs to the plate readers, says an administrative report posted on the city’s website.

Police have used a plate reader since 2008, and the machine was originally hyped as a way of catching stolen cars.

Since last year, traffic police have used the plate reader to crack down on unlicensed, suspended and prohibited drivers.

The report said an officer using a plate reader in a 10-hour period can screen 1,700 to 3,500 vehicles – an amount it would take 16 officers without a plate reader to do.

“Removing these drivers from the roadway promotes safety and holds those individuals accountable, particularly as the fines for such offences are on the high end of the threshold,” said the report.

The report says plate readers can also be used in other investigations, such as when a child is kidnapped.

“The units can also be used to assist with Amber Alerts (abducted children) as the readers can effectively screen all vehicle licence plates passing along a major route,” said the report.

The agreement between MPI and the Winnipeg Police Service states that officers will have to use each of the readers on provincial roads an average of 20 hours a week over a two-year period.

MPI will chip in about $48,000 to buy the two plate readers, plus half of the costs of maintenance and training of officers using the machine over the two-year period – to a maximum of $60,000.

MPI will also cover any applicable taxes, said the report.

Meanwhile, the city will own the plate readers and be responsible for any costs related to things such as upkeep or damaged parts.

No one from the Winnipeg Police Service was available Tuesday for an interview.

Gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca