Software targets drivers with fraudulent licences
Merseyside Police is using the latest computer technology to help keep uninsured and unlicensed drivers off the road.
Merseyside Police is using the latest computer technology to help keep uninsured and unlicensed drivers off the road.
Officers are using powerful vehicle management software, which features an electronic HO/RT 2 database for recording details of drivers documents produced at police stations.
The Easy Link Vehicle Information System (Police Forms) has been developed by Merseyside Police in partnership with WPC Software, the IT specialists which already works with a number of other forces developing software solutions for a range of applications, from firearms and liquor licensing to missing persons and stolen vehicle administration.
The software automatically collects vehicle and keeper information from the Police National Computer (PNC), as well as driver licence information from the Drivers Database and insurance information from the Motor Insurance Database (MID). This allows officers to detect fraudulent and out-of-date documents and licences instantly.
The new HO/RT 2 module prompts enquiry staff to confirm that details are correct and highlights the issue numbers that should appear on the drivers licence. Having instant access to real-time information has enabled Merseyside Police to achieve a record number of licence seizures.
Between 30 and 40 fraudulent or out-of-date licences are now seized each month using the new software. The move away from a paper-based system to an electronic one has also greatly reduced the time spent checking that drivers have produced their documents on time. This is because the system emails the issuing officer, informing them that a production has taken place and what documents have been produced.
The system gives us a greater intelligence capability, said Kelvin Donegan, manager of the Merseyside Police vehicular information system. It allows us to see who has got access to vehicles and makes drivers and owners more accountable.
Not only does the system help us detect and prevent crime, it also saves valuable police time and reduces the risk of drivers being wrongly prosecuted for non-production of documents.
