how do the police know your details by scanning your No plate?

Question

And do they know all your details such as MoT, insurance , driving license exp date, any traffic convictions etc

Answer 1

Using ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) simply by passing a police vehicle (or passed by them) your can be 'scanned' and any offences appear on a screen. ie. Car type, colour & make, driver's name, address, convictions, TAX, MOT, insurance. Pretty handy piece of kit.

All cross referenced via PNC - the Police database.

ANPR is also used in the dreaded SPECS (average speed) cameras to log a car, track it's time & send out the fines if you went a bit quick!

Answer 2

Most police cars now are fitted with license plate recognition cameras which automatically scan car number plates. This info is then checked by computer against the DVLA records which have all the details such as if your car is taxed, MOT'd and insured.

As for them knowing your traffic convictions, I don't believe they can do this until they pull you over and do a PNC check as the person driving is not necessarily the owner of the car and therefore they wouldn't know who was behind the wheel.

Answer 3

The Police are wired in to the DVLA database which controls road tax, any warnings registered to the car (ie -stolen) and any driving bans etc.. against the registered keeper of the car. They also has access to Insurance companies information which includes the date of last MOT, insurance expiry and lots of other interesting private details.

Answer 4

The police use a national database.

They can see who is the registered keeper of the car. From a name they can see if you hold a driving licence. From the licence details they can see if you have previous motoring offences.

From your name and date of birth they can see if you have any criminal convictions.

The data base is updated with details of insurance (if any) held on the particular vehicle and also MOT details - although this one is relatively new.

PNC - Police National Computer.

Answer 5

It's called ANPR..Automatic No. Plate Recognition and it's linked to the Police National Computer (PNC), so basically the computer tells the Old Bill if the car is nicked, has no insurance etc, or if it was involved in a robbery 3 weeks ago in Preston.
I guess from your question that you've something to hide you little tinker!

Answer 6

...and they will know things such as the owner is still on a ban, or a provisional licence, and should be accompanied by a qualified driver. All this info gets to them within ten seconds of the rapid scanning of the plate.

Answer 7

the u k police(hereon known as the rozzers/bill/dredds/dixons/old bill..or if you r old enough..peelers..)the in car computers are linked to hq..which has access to the dvla ..they read your plate as they follow you,radio or type it in.or it may have an auto no plate recognition system..(alpha charlie bravo..231) should come back as ligit.against the colour make and model they are looking at..the dvla also have access to insurance details as well as mot details..all mot stations are linked to a central computer,each cert they issue is automatically registered..they might be playing snooker with cars..a red one(1pt) followed by another colour..and so on..they can follow you for ages before you make a mistake and then they have resonable cause to pull you..it might be your no plate is not the offical size or lettering script.(it annoys the hell out of me..i had a cracked plate..and failed ..but a car with an italic plate passes??)i also got pulled for a duff tail light..and he was getting his book out ..until i explained that i had checked my lights with my son that morning,and it could be rectified straight away,as i carry spare bulbs all the time..(mr jobsworth..still wanted to book me but was persueded not to) but he waited there until i had changed it and showed him it worked..its not a quick job on an 02 vauxhall zafira..how long does it take to check your lights? not long..you do it like this if on your own..rear..back up to wall or fence or another car..apply brakes.lights reflected.brakelights ok..reverse the same and rear fogs.indicators..same.you do not have to get out and check each indicator..listen to the tic..if its faster than what you normally hear there is a bulb out,then look for it(check hazards as well) front put the front against the wall..head fog and driving lights should all be seen..however if its daylight sidelights wont show up.so check visually..although you should check your lights every day..just make it twice a week,that way your time without the light is no longer than a few days..dont forget to check horn and tyre pressures,coolant and oil...and.gently test your brakes as you drive off..i would like to start a campain for this and call it the yahoo questions safer motoring campain

Answer 8

Yep, the police (authorities) have access to most of your details. And they can cross reference with all sorts of info, such as the Electoral Register.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

It is a really simple document scanner with a beefed up lens to be able to read the plate at a distance while moving.

The number could just as easily be typed in, once they have your reg number they can use their computer and the DVLAs to chase up any info they want