Highway Patrol to police from inside vehicle

Victoria Police will be able to keep a closer watch on dangerous drivers, with new road safety technology rolling out across Victoria Police’s highway patrol fleet.
The first highway patrol vehicle fitted with new Automatic Number Plate Recognition and in-car video technology has been unveiled, improving Victoria Police’s ability to get dangerous drivers and vehicles off the roads.
The Automatic Number Plate Recognition, able to identify 2500 number plates an hour, will also play an important role in helping Victoria Police identify offenders using stolen cars and assist in solving fuel theft.
The cameras will check for unlicensed drivers, unregistered or stolen vehicles, drivers with interlock conditions, and motorists with outstanding warrants.
The in-car video technology will allow the highway patrol to record audio and video footage of road policing activities, including roadside intercepts, and can be used as evidence in court hearings.
Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane told media that the system is “one of the best anywhere in the world.”
Commissioner Leane also said it was important to “make an investment in regional and rural Victoria, with the first of these going out to country Victoria in Bendigo.”
The technology will be installed across 38 highway patrol vehicles by the middle of the year and progressively rolled-out throughout the state, with completion to be in June 2021.