Devon and Cornwall Police will use ANPR cameras to catch motorists flouting Covid-19 lockdown rules.
Static cameras will be mounted in numerous locations across the region, while every officer has access to an ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) app on their devices. This allows them to access live information about vehicles spotted on the road.
In a tweet responding to a concerned motorist, Devon and Cornwall Police said officers will “engage, explain and encourage before any kind of enforcement”. This followed a question about a car registered in Yorkshire but being used in Devon. “All you should have to do is have a chat and explain the situation”.
Speaking on Saturday, Devon and Cornwall’s chief constable said that “with more roads in Devon alone than there is in Belgium,” police officers cannot be everywhere at once. He called on the public to obey the rules.
“A thousand people a day are dying. You know what to do, please do it. We are going to enforce and there is going to be an awful lot of activity and an awful lot of difficult conversations if this carries on,” said Mr Sawyer.
‘Appalled and upset’
Although there are fewer cases of Covid-19 in Devon and Cornwall than in many parts of England, rates are increasing in some parts of the region. The latest figures show Cornwall has the highest rate (338.2 per 100,000 people), followed by Exeter (283.9) and Plymouth (273.2).
While many parts of the country were plunged into ever-stricter tiers in 2020, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly remained in tier 1. Cornwall moved into tier 2 before Christmas, but joined Devon in tier 3 at the end of the year. Both counties, including the Isles of Scilly, are now part of the national lockdown.
Cornwall has the most empty houses of any area in England. Of the 18,621 empty residences, 13,642 are second homes used as holiday houses. This is thought to have led to an increases of Covid-19 cases in county.
Meanwhile, in Devon, Rob Steemson of Dartmoor National Park said he was “appalled and upset by the amount of visitors that were in and around Dartmoor over the weekend”. There have been calls for Dartmoor National Park to close its car parks, which is something that might happen if people continue to drive to the moors.
‘Done a great job so far’
The use of ANPR cameras has been welcomed by Devon and Cornwall police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez, who said: “Covid is spreading rapidly across the whole of the UK, not least because this new strain of the virus is far more contagious.
“We need to be doing everything we possibly can to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The people of Devon and Cornwall have done a great job so far which is reflected in our case rates which are among the very lowest in the whole country.
“But we mustn’t become complacent. I was saddened to hear about the reports of hundreds of covid breaches over the weekend, many of which are understood to be related to second homes.
“As such, I welcome the force’s use of ANPR to monitor vehicle movements and make sure the only journeys being made here are essential ones. Using this technology helps us see where certain vehicles have come from and allows officers to further investigate their reasons for travel.”
Fines for drivers in breach of the rules
Devon and Cornwall Police told Motoring Research: “As part of our efforts to enforce the national lockdown in our area, we have increased the number of visible units on patrol and our use of vehicle stop-checks within Devon and Cornwall.
“All officers have access to the Police National Computer (PNC) and the ANPR database in which they can undertake research on vehicles as part of this process; what we are not doing is using ANPR to alert the force to any vehicle that may not be local that happens to be in our region, or using ANPR details solely as the basis to issue a Covid-related fine.
“At all times, our officers will have a conversation with any vehicle user to understand the reason for their journey. There will be many who are in Devon or Cornwall for a legitimate reason as laid out under Government Covid guidelines and, rest assured, these will be treated fairly. Those who are in breach of the rules, however, run the risk of receiving a fine, being told to turn around and to return directly to their home address.”
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