ROGUE drivers in the borough will have nowhere to hide following the introduction of a new weapon in the fight against road crime in Greater Manchester.

Drivers without a valid licence will be found out on the spot under the new Drivers Database, a new initiative that gives police patrols immediate access to driving licence details through the Police National Computer (PNC).

For the first time, officers can run PNC checks through their police control room and find out instantly by radio whether the driver before them has a valid licence for the car they are driving.

The Drivers Database is a joint initiative between the police service, Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO), and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

Previously motorists were given a ticket and asked to produce their licence at a local police station within seven days, a process that took time and was costly to administer.

The new system is both quicker and more efficient than the old way of working. It will cut the administrative burden on police forces that have in the past had to process thousands of licence productions every year.

There will also be benefits for the motorist who will no longer have the inconvenience of visiting a police station to produce a valid driving licence.

The increased chance of being caught red-handed will also act as a deterrent to rogue drivers.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "We needed to provide better tools for the service to identify criminal drivers. This initiative is one of them.

"We intend to reduce the bureaucracy of the existing system, and I am pleased that officers will no longer have to give lawful drivers a form to take to the police station, saving them time and money.

"This new initiative will further free up administrative time for police officers and our support staff, which can only be to everyone's benefit."

DVLA Chief Executive Clive Bennett said: "The agency is delighted to be able to enhance the service it provides in this very important area of road traffic policing.

"Honest motorists will see real benefits from this new system while those who drive while disqualified will have nowhere to hide."

Now that driving licence details are available on the PNC, the final

piece of the jigsaw, due for delivery in 2003, will be to give officers access to a vehicle's MOT record.