Editing Mechelen (section)

==Police==
The city of Mechelen uses [[Automatic number-plate recognition|ANPR]] cameras since September 2011 to check all inbound and outbound cars against a database of stolen, non-insured and cars listed for other reasons.  In case of a positive match, an alarm is generated in the dispatching room, enabling the police to quickly intercept the car.  Mechelen was one of the first cities in Belgium to use ANPR on this scale. As of early 2012, 1 million cars per week are checked in this way. Mechelen started this project with SAIT [[Zenitel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lokalepolitie.be/5358/nieuws/1-latest-news/2175-automatische-nummerplaat-herkenningscameras-een-eerste-balans.html |title=ANPR in Mechelen |location=Belgium}}</ref>

Mechelen and [[Willebroek]] formed a unified local police zone on 1 January 2015; it was extended with [[Puurs-Sint-Amands]] and [[Bornem]] on 1 January 2023, the zone now being called {{ill|Rivierenland Police Zone|nl|Politiezone Rivierenland}}.