A HI-TECH number plate reader which will help drive crime off the roads of Hampshire has been unveiled by police.

Hampshire Constabulary yesterday showed off the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system on the M3 near Winchester.

Police believe the equipment, which is capable of scanning up to 3,000 vehicles an hour, will be a powerful technological tool in the fight against serious crime.

Number plates of passing cars will be checked against information stored on national databases to see if the vehicle has been used in crime.

Any suspicious vehicle is then identified and becomes the focus of police targeted interceptions and inquiries.

The ANPR system has already been piloted for six months by nine other police forces across Britain.

So far the system has helped police seize more than £100,000 in illegal drugs as well as 300 stolen vehicles.

Insp Tony Browne of Hampshire police said: "The law-abiding driver has absolutely nothing to fear from this technology, but those who are involved in crime or driving illegally have every reason to be concerned."