New Licence Plate Scanning Tech Helps Toronto Police Crack Down on Crime
The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is calling its newly introduced Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) system one of the most significant technological advancements in its history.
Now deployed in over 600 police vehicles, the ALPR system automatically scans every licence plate in its field of view, flagging vehicles linked to criminal investigations, stolen vehicles, and public safety alerts such as Amber Alerts.
“A lot of officers have told me this is a game-changer … some compared it to the shift from the typewriter to the computer,” said Det. Sgt. Jeff Bassingthwaite, the lead officer for ALPR integration at TPS.
Dubbed an “unblinking electronic eye on the road”, the ALPR cameras are mounted on police cruisers and automatically check every passing vehicle against a hot list of flagged plates. The system:
- Detects vehicles traveling up to 225 km/h
- Covers a 160-degree field of view
- Scans plates up to 50 feet away
- Instantly alerts officers to vehicles linked to stolen cars, missing persons, or criminal activity
“The officers don’t have to manually check licence plates anymore—the system does it for them,” Bassingthwaite explained.
The ALPR system has already proven effective. One of its first successes involved finding a missing elderly man with dementia, who was located 25 km from his home in Scarborough.
The technology is also playing a key role in recovering stolen vehicles—a major concern after last year’s spike in carjackings across the GTA.
“There are currently 110,000 stolen vehicles across the country in the system,” said Bassingthwaite. “Getting these vehicles recovered, getting the perpetrators arrested, and bringing them before the courts is a huge priority.”
As the Toronto police force continues to expand ALPR use, officers expect the technology to increase efficiency, improve safety, and potentially save lives.
“This is just the beginning,” Bassingthwaite said. “There’s a lot of potential, and we have a lot of exploration ahead of us.”
With auto theft, missing persons, and criminal investigations at the forefront of policing concerns, ALPR is set to become a powerful tool in Toronto’s crime-fighting arsenal.