Registration recognition system to help gardaí spot car tax dodgers

MOTORISTS who drive without car tax will be instantly spotted by gardaí using new hi-tech surveillance equipment that can read fast-moving registration plates at the rate of five per second.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) devices have been fitted in 70 squad cars and 30 more will be on the roads in all Garda divisions across the country early in the new year.

They instantly record the registrations of every passing vehicle — even on multi-lane motorways — and flash up cases where the car is untaxed. They will also provide notification if a car is speeding, has been reported stolen or is wanted by gardaí in connection with a crime.