DRIVERS of stolen cars are being arrested in their scores after £300,000 worth of cameras were installed around the borough.

Police have recouped the money, making 87 arrests and recovering 38 stolen cars worth over £360,000 since last year.

Police said two weeks ago, on Sunday June 14, camera controllers spied a 24-year-old man in Edmonton driving a car which had been stolen on May 29.

Officers chased the vehicle and arrested the man, who has been bailed to return to Edmonton police station on July 16.

The Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera works by takes an image of all passing number plates. Those from cars known to have been stolen will be matched to a database and trigger an alert in the police control room.

Police say only vehicles that are highlighted as being of interest to police, such as stolen cars or those involved in crime, are stopped, and law-abiding members of the public have “nothing to fear” from the cameras.

Borough Commander, Chief Superintendent Dave Tucker said: “This system picks up vehicles which may have evaded my officers before the system was in place. My message to criminals who use vehicles is clear. If you drive into Enfield there is a really good chance of getting caught.”

Funding for the cameras came from the Home Office.