Officers have been zooming across the borough in a police crackdown on uninsured and unlicensed drivers.

The operation on Thursday, March 1, resulted in ten vehicle seizures for no insurance and one arrest for an offensive weapon – a baton.

Over 50 officers took part in the first comprehensive operation using a network of static number plate reading cameras (ANPR) across the borough.

The cameras, which run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, read the number plate of every vehicle which passes them.

They automatically send an alert to the control room at Sutton Police Station if the vehicle is being driven illegally or if it is lost or stolen.

The system can also be used to look for particular types, model and colour of vehicles and it keeps a record of the time and location a vehicle passes the camera.

Information gathered can be used as an investigation tool for police not only in Sutton but the entire country.

Inspector Ceri Rowe said: “These ANPR cameras help to make Sutton borough a hostile environment for any drivers flouting the law and anyone committing crime.

“What these cameras do is to help put the fear of prosecution back on to the criminals.”

The static ANPR cameras have been paid for by Sutton Council however, the amount and their location cannot be disclosed for operational reasons.

Police officers also used mobile cameras at roadside checkpoints and in marked and unmarked vehicles patrolling the streets.

It was all part of the Met-wide Operation Cubo VI to strike uninsured and unlicensed drivers and other criminals.

Research shows that 80-per-cent of vehicles are driven by those involved in criminal activities or have a criminal record.