POLICE in North Yorkshire are expanding a scheme which has seen 205 people arrested and more than £1.25 million worth of property seized in one year.

Work has begun on a £150,000 scheme to implement three new fixed sites for the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) unit, which runs checks on vehicles in a bid to catch wanted people and find stolen vehicles.

Between June 2006 and May 2007, the dedicated ANPR team arrested a total of 205 people.

There are currently four static ANPR cameras in the county, but some police cars also have mobile cameras fitted.

According to a police authority report: "Through these arrests, the team have supported the strategic aims of reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, bringing offenders to justice and reducing fear of crime and antisocial behaviour."

The technology flags up passing vehicles which have recorded links to crimes and motoring offences.

The motorists are then intercepted by officers in patrol cars or on motorcycles.

During the same period, the ANPR team has recovered £1,280,500 worth of property, including £1,211,000 in illegal drugs, £21,000 in stolen goods and £48,500 in cash under money laundering legislation.

An incentive scheme introduced last year allows the police and recovery agencies to retain half of all cash they seize from criminals.

The rest goes to the Home Office.

A total of 351 vehicles have been recovered since the implementation of the fixed sites. Of those 18 had been reported stolen. They had an estimated value of £153,850.

The remaining 333 vehicles seized were uninsured.

The report states: "The sites chosen within North Yorkshire are included within the regional ANPR fixed site installation strategy and complement sites being installed across the region by all four forces.

"North Yorkshire Police has just completed a tendering process to ensure that the best possible ANPR solution is achieved at each of the three sites and that the project represents best value in the application of the authorised budget.

"The contract to deliver the fixed sites has been awarded to a company named Genesis who have a proven track record in installation of fixed site ANPR systems and were also able to demonstrate detailed costings for all work undertaken."

The contract was formally awarded to them on January 7. Subject to approval from the Highways Agency the work is expected to be completed before the end of this financial year on March 31.

North Yorkshire Police has already received a £150,000 Home Office grant for the new sites.

The report states that there are some unknown costs involved, such as the cost of electricity being delivered to each of the sites by the relevant electricity suppliers.

The force has allowed the maximum amount which electricity cost during a previous fixed site project and anticipate that this project will not go above budget.