imes j<Thurs.^aY, December 2nd, 2004^ No; 6,17J ' , |' newis aiid views fro n ith e 'C ^ the Kingdom ” ' wwwlcirtlhero^^ ;:>/jPrice S,»S
Alieaubcnie rn dvertiser and 1 imes
& Salvation Army
Spy system ‘sees’ mobile criminals
by Faiza Afzaal
A REVOLUTIONARY new spy sys tem which instantly pinpoints criminal drivers across the Ribble Valley has been unveiled by Clitheroe police. The system r which uses the Automatic
Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) tech nology - is the latest crime-fighting tool linked to Clitheroe and Whalley’s existing CCTV cameras allowing officers to imme diately identify criminals targeting the, area. The ANPR device reads number plates
of every car on the roads of Clitheroe and Whalley and alerts police officers if any information linked to that vehicle or the likely occupants gives cause for concern. For example, if the vehicle is stolen or has
been used in the commission of crime - it can be stopped. If the system picks up a “hit” on a number plate, an “alert” message is relayed to Clitheroe police station, where the staff on duty can decide whether the vehicle needs to be stopped or carry out other actions. The link, which has been introduced in conjunction with the Ribble Valley’s Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP), is the first of its kind in Lan cashire, and also reduces the chance of peo
ple having their cars stolen or becoming the victims of crime. Undeniably, this technology is effective as
it works round-the-clock and checks over 10,000 vehicles per day- an impossible task to carry out manually. Since the “intelligence” operation has
been up and running, a number of notable successes have been recorded and the advice from Insp. Bob Ford, officer in charge of geographic policing in the Ribble Valley is that travelling criminals should think twice before coming to the borough. He commented: “It is already paying
dividends and we had some really good results. We have superb digital CCrV, and now ANPR.” In addition to fighting crime, the system
is highly effective at helping to trace vul nerable people. Insp. Ford added: “Recently a suicidal
man from another area was reported as driving off after taking an overdose of
tablets. “His number plate was inserted into the
ANPR and within 10 minutes, the car was stopped in Clitheroe following an alert and the driver was taken to hospital. ” The new system has cost around £20,000
and has been funded by various organisa tions. Due to its success, plans are afoot to expand the ANPR to cover the busy A59.
W 1 iM -
Christmas fun and games for toddlers
A HAPPY time was had at the grand opening and Christmas fair of the Bright Start Day Care Centre, formerly the Tiddlers and Toddlers group. Lots of enthusiastic parents and
children turned out to welcome Father Christmas who arrived on his
sleigh to give presents to the young sters at the West View, Clitheroe premises. Various activities were also organised to help make it a success ful event, these included a jarbola, a tombola, a giant raffle and a balloon race, to launch the opening of the centre, which all helped to raise the
magnificent sum of £400 for nursery funds. Many local businesses gave draw prizes and goods for the stalls which were gratefully received. Pictured are children from the
centre ready to launch the grand opening watched by Father Christ mas. (S271104/8)
Workers to take strike action in pay dispute
WORKERS at Clitheroe chemical firm Johnson Matthey Catalysts will take to the picket lines tomorrow in protest over pay and conditions. Up to 70 employees - members of GMB and Amicus unions - voted in favour of the action after rejecting the com pany’s annual pay offer of 3%. The industrial action will see workers stage the 24-hour walk out at the fac
tory, on the Pimhco Industrial Estate, starting at 6 a.m. tomorrow. Mr Steve Davies, a spokesman for Amicus, said: “Our members at the firm think a 3% pay offer is unaccept able given the unfavourable changes to their working terms and conditions and the increased profits made by the group as a.whole, and in particular, the Clitheroe site.” Mr Ian Godwin,
head of corporate communications for the company, said: “This ate employs around 250 workers - 70 of which have decided to stage the one-day walk out.We are disappointed union members made the decision in favour of the partial industrial action, how ever we are in on-going discussions with them and hope an amicable set tlement can be reached soon.”
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