Winnipeg police launch licence plate recognition system

Winnipeg Police unveiled their latest high-tech gadget in the battle against auto theft Tuesday: an automatic licence plate recognition system.

The $48,000 system has three cameras installed in an unmarked police car. When a vehicle passes by, the system takes photos of licence plates and vehiclesand the plates are then compared against a database of stolen vehicles.

An alarm sounds when there is a match. The system can run more than 1,000 licence plates per hour, police said Tuesday.

Police have been testing the system out around the city in areas that have high levels of car theft, said Det. Sgt. Kevin Kavitch with the force's stolen auto unit.

Already tens of thousands of vehicles have been scanned, he said.

"We've located stolen vehicles with it," he said, although he acknowledged police have not yet made an arrest with the help of the system.

"It's something that we've just started to use actively. But we know that the way we work in our unit and how we recognize vehicles, it's a matter of time before it leads to actual arrests."

The system will also be used to help locate cars involved in other crimes and in Amber Alerts, Kavitch said.