Number Plates News

'Success' on a plate?

01 December 2009

In an unwittingly ludicrous report from Australia, the police in Adelaide are set to use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to target 'known arsonists'.

Given the appalling damage caused by the recent bush fires, one could be forgiven for congratulating the authorities on their vigilance and ingenuity, but read between the lines: known arsonists? Surely, those guilty of such extreme vandalism (which can carry a 20-year jail term) should be behind bars anyway. Instead, it seems the plan is to let them all free and wait until they drive their cars back into those potentially vulnerable areas.

Cat and mouse is, however, a game favoured by police forces worldwide. Consider the advantages: Success is measured, and highly rewarded, by the ‘clear-up rate'. The more people you catch, the more 'successful' your tactics appear and the greater the argument for their pursuance and extension. The prime example, of course, is the speed camera. Apart from the revenue it generates, the number of resulting convictions presents unequivocal proof of its value in 'fighting crime'.

Consequently, it is no longer in the interests of the government or its agents to reduce speeding itself, and the same perverted logic lies behind most forms of parking control.

Sadly, it seems unlikely that modern society will ever allow its guardians to return to their original function and measure success, not by counting crime, but by preventing it.