Yes, they do and it’s called ANPR (Automated Number Plate Recognition). It’s designed to identify and record large numbers of license plates in real time. In Victoria, the majority of Highway Patrol vehicles have already been fitted with the technology.
They are widely used on toll-roads for example, but can also be installed on traffic lights, power poles, or the entrance or exits of buildings such as parking garages or service stations for instance.
The police say this technology assists their work to identify stolen cars, cars registered to drivers with invalid licenses, or drivers with outstanding warrants against their names, but its uses have also included identifying persons of interest associated with a vehicle, or monitoring the movements of citizens to and from protests.
Such mass-surveillance vastly increases police powers to monitor people in public, and track and record their movements over time.
Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Surveillance During COVID-19 • Melbourne Activist Legal Support
I’d be more than surprised if this technology was in use in a remote area such as the Wonnangatta Valley. I got the distinct impression from DI Stamper in the presser that they didn’t have the number plate details only images of the vehicle. If they knew the number plate details, why would they keep appealing to the public to come forward if they recognised the vehicle?