Neuchatel’s cantonal police are to deploy a new type of camera connected to a computer containing the number plates of all cars, mostly French, whose owners have unpaid fines, the police announced 21 November. The license plate number is scanned and compared to the database in less than a second. If there is a match, a second team of police officers can stop the car and ask the driver for his details.
In a test phase along the canton’s border crossings with France, one in 12 of the 8,700 cars checked came up positive, according to Pascal Luthi, spokesman for the Neuchatel police. In less than 14 hours of testing the machine, Neuchatel police discovered 1,100 outstanding fines for a total of CHF81,000. The machine costs about CHF40,000.
The police hope that the deployment marks an end to the impunity of people who do not bother to pay fines of less than CHF120, mainly speeding tickets or parking fines. Luthi also points out that in many cases the driver may not even be aware that he has broken the law, if the amount of the fine does not warrant cross-border assistance. Fines above CHF120 come within the scope of transnational administrative assistance agreements.
Thanks for the post, I've seen the ZH cops using the same (or similar device) about a click before regular street checks and then pulling out any offenders instantly based on offending license plates rather than just using their undeniable skill and judgement in assessing our guilt as we look all sweet and innocent driving past the guy with the wavey wand.
It about time too, the number of French/Italian/German plated drivers I see every week speeding through those tunnnels on the E25 between Neuchatel and Vaud really get my goat! whilst we have have to adhere to the limit these speed monkeys get away with it!
They should pull them over and actually take their cars away from them, let them walk back to where they come from! some of these drivers at times have no respect for other drivers and at times I have seen near or close to accidents about to take place, they fly up behind you flashing their head lights or indicators for overtaking as though they have gods given right to do so!
Oh, is that what they are doing on the road between Morges and Saint Prex, in canton Vaud, about once a month in the summer? They set up a bunch of very expensive looking gear. There is no chance of catching speeders there as the road isn't conducive to speeding.
Perhaps it is a Douane checkpoint? I don't know.
I do know that this location is parallel to the Autoroute Vignette gantry on the A1 between Aubonne and Lausanne.