Cops using ‘next generation’ speed cameras that can read number plates from 2,500ft in the DARK
POLICE forces across the country are trialling a brand new high-tech speed camera which can read number plates from 2,500 feet in the DARK.
The new blue handheld cameras, which cost around £10,000 each, can zap a speeding vehicle’s make, model and number plate within seconds – and they record everything.
The details are then automatically uploaded to a database and fines posted to the owner’s address without cops needing to lift a finger – so motorists won’t even know they have been fined in some cases.
Forces including Northumbria Police and Warwickshire Police confirmed they had taken orders of the LTI 20/20 TruCam II Speed Enforcement Laser with Video.
The new model is one of the most advanced speed guns that will ever have been used in the UK, with integrated laser and patented technology to measures the time and distance between vehicles.
The device also features a digital video camera which can record and store a complete chain of evidence that can be used to help prosecupte speeding motorists.
The new model even features an auto-adjust for the focus, iris and shutter speed and can even catch-out bikers.
It means the Tru Cam can capture “crystal clear images” of vehicle registrations from almost one mile away – although the limit is set at 2,500 ft – even in the dark.
The super high-tech features mean that although the devices’s prominent use will be to catch speeding motorists, it can also be used to catch tailgating, distracted driving and people not wearing their seat belts.
The new device also has a “night filter” which can be switched on at the touch of a button, with added GPS technology that generates location-based information every time the camera is triggered.
When data is uploaded, where and when driving offences were committed is automatically plugged into the system which drastically reduces the amount of admin time for constabularies.
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All of the mod-cons have also been given the green light to be used in court to prove a driver’s guilt.
A review of the older version of the TruCam by Essex Police last year stated “the accuracy and detail produced by the device to be of exceptional quality.”
Superintendent Helena Barron, who leads Northumbria Police’s Operations Department said of the new devices: “I am pleased that the new cameras will allow much more flexibility in deployments across our area.”