A NEW hi-tech weapon used in Rubery in the fight against car crime has helped traffic police make more than 100 arrests.

Criminals in stolen cars or driving around carrying stolen property are being targeted using special cameras in Lickey Road, in a joint venture between West Midlands

Police and West Mercia Constabulary.

The Automatic Number-Plate Recording System uses a camera fixed to the back of a police car to record vehicles which pass.

The details scanned are checked against a national database and displayed on a screen inside the car.

Police motorcyclists can be contacted to pull the vehicle over for roadside checks, if the vehicle is suspicious.

The system means police can carry out many more checks than before and target criminals more accurately.

Police stressed that the devices were not speed traps, and the ordinary motorist was not being targeted.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "Police are using this technology to target vehicles used in crime and stolen vehicles without inconveniencing other car users.

"It is very good news for motorists as it allows officers to carry out checks in an unobtrusive way."