The National ANPR Infrastructure (NAI) comprises two core elements:

• a Back Office Facility (BOF) within each police force
• a single centralised National ANPR Data Centre (NADC)

As a registration number is read, the date, time and location are recorded and the number is checked against a number of databases. These include local and national police databases, including the Police National Computer, along with databases supplied by the DVLA and the Motor Insurers' Bureau. This ensures officers are alerted, in real time, to vehicles that are stolen, involved in crime, unregistered, unlicensed or uninsured.

All 'reads' are stored in the force BOF and forwarded to the NADC in order to facilitate local, regional and national data searching.

Who uses ANPR?

ANPR technology is used widely in a variety of contexts, including both the public and private sectors. These include parking enforcement, traffic management and congestion charging.

The services for which the NPIA is responsible are solely for crime prevention and investigation purposes. Users include every police force in England and Wales along with other Government Departments and Agencies (including MOD, SPSA, HMRC and SOCA).

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Key features

ANPR is used to help to meet the following policing objectives:

• Increase public confidence and reassurance
• Reduce crime and terrorism
• Increase the number of offences brought to justice
• Reduce road traffic casualties
• Make more efficient use of police resources

There are three key areas of capability areas that ANPR provides to the police service:

Information/Intelligence

At the end of March 2011, the NADC was receiving approximately 15 million reads per day, with over 11 billion vehicle sightings stored.  This body of information on vehicle movements is key to the value of ANPR.

Intercept

The most highly-visible application of ANPR technology is the real-time response to 'hit' alarms, either through control-room deployment or self-deployment in mobile units.

Investigation

Following an incident, ANPR data can be of great value to investigators, as a means of identifying and tracking possible offenders, but also as a means of eliminating persons from enquiries.

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NPIA role

The NPIA is responsible for the Police National ANPR Programme that oversees the development and management of the NAI and provides guidance to the police service in its management and use of ANPR data.

On behalf of ACPO, the Agency has provided Practice Advice and protocols for the management and use of ANPR data and is working in conjunction with the Information Commissioner's Office to ensure that privacy concerns are properly balanced with operational requirements.

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Working in partnership

The ANPR Programme draws upon expertise from across the Agency and from forces and other agencies, to ensure that the police service fully realises the benefits of its use of ANPR.

The Programme also works with the Olympic Delivery Authority to ensure ANPR makes a major contribution to the London 2012 Olympic Games security operation.

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