By DANIEL TRAN
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THE Victorian Sheriff’s office has got stronger, better and faster, with new technology that can identify in seconds thousands of drivers who have fines outstanding.
The technology, known as Automatic Number Plate Recognition, was unveiled last week in Glen Waverley and will allow the sheriff’s office to read up to 2000 number plates in a second and compare them against a list of drivers.
“When a number plate scan matches with a vehicle registration number on the outstanding list, the software tells the sheriff’s office they have a successful match,” Victorian Sheriff Brendan Facey said.
“It then records the time, date, location and number plate.
It is planned the new technology will be used in trawling operations in suburban shopping centres and sheriff’s officers will be able to clamp the wheels of debtors’ cars.
“This new numberplate recognition technology will enhance our operations and show Victorians that sheriff’s officers are out in force to crack down on unpaid fines and outstanding warrants,” Mr Facey said.
Department of Justice spokeswoman Fiona Ung said the new technology would be rolled out across Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs over the next few weeks.
In Monash alone in the past month, officers caught 523 people with about $150,000 in outstanding fines.
Ms Ung said the technology had no room for error.
“It’s been through various levels of testing to make sure the technology is accurate.
In the past, sheriff’s officers had to manually enter number plates into a database to determine whether there were outstanding fines. “Now it’s just a matter of driving through a car park and if something gets picked up, they’ll stop either clamp it or provide other sanctions or provide a notice to the person involved,” Ms Ung said.
“It’s just part of a plan to make the sheriff more efficient.”
Sheriff’s officers will be patrolling suburbs in the next few months in marked cars.
Mr Facey said paying fines on time was the way to avoid more penalties. “The earlier you pay your fine, the less you pay and if you try dodging your fines, you will inevitably end up paying more.”
