ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology has now been rolled out across the country in a bid to tackle the criminals who refuse to live within the rules of normal society. The police had for some time voiced a need to have access to more accurate and up-to-date information relating to the vehicles currently on Britain’s roads. Thanks to ANPR this has now been achieved.

Alongside this new technology, computerised MOT certificates have also been introduced in order that all the information can be stored centrally. Constantly updated systems also mean that road tax can now be renewed online. Police have access to this information whenever they require it.

The UK’s ANPR system has been designed as an alert system and the technology has the ability to read over 3,000 licence plates every hour. The cameras come in two different variations, fixed and mobile. Both types capture digital images, which are then fed through the central ANPR system and converted into data. The central unit is located alongside the Police National Computer, which allows it to be cross-referenced against police data and DVLA records. In turn, the system will flag up any vehicles of interest to the police.

The purpose of ANPR cameras is to catch criminals who are using the roads to carry out their illegal activities. They are not the same as speed cameras or average speed cameras, which is to say they are not safety devices. They are also unlikely to affect the majority of honest drivers on the roads today.