Delhi Police are all set to get their first automatic number plate recognition (APNR) cameras. The cameras will be installed in south and New Delhi areas in its pilot phase. They will photograph number plates of cars and alert the police control room about stolen vehicles. The police headquarters have floated tenders for the APNR cameras that use the number plate recognition technology to identify vehicles.
The software will help the police detect ‘wanted, suspicious and stolen’ vehicles.
Delhi has around 89 lakh vehicles, of which around 56 lakh are two-wheelers.
Police data shows on average about 85 vehicles are stolen every day. Last year, of the 31,114 vehicles stolen, the police recovered only around 1,770 vehicles.
Once the cameras are set up, the registration details of all stolen vehicles in the city from the central database will be set up at the control room. The cameras would be connected to the control room. “If a car whose number is in the database passes by, the APNR camera will immediately film the driver and take a picture of the vehicle. The photograph and the video can be used as evidence. Simultaneously, the control room will receive an alarm. This will help trace stolen vehicles,” said a senior police officer.
Police said the camera will identify different fonts used in the number plates. The photograph of the driver and the vehicle will be stored as an image along with the date, time and location. The camera can capture the image of the vehicle driving up to a speed of 120km/hour and work even during night through infrared.
