Police ordered to disclose ANPR camera sites.

[DaveMcT]

That's far too useful an idea.

 

[Focus Owner]

riskier but easier to slow the payment system down?

 

[pooroldcodger]

And how many ANPR-equipped police cars are out on the roads at any one time? Surely there is no down side to having these sites hidden? If your neighbour was driving without tax or insurance wouldn't you want him nabbed? I know I would. So what if a computer database somewhere knows that I went to Sainsburys? It's hardly a breach of the Magna Carta is it? Get the crims off the road I say .

 

[The Beard]

I recieved an email today from Walsall Police, Walsall Partnerships Team(WPT) regarding ANPR's. WPT are Police officers that liaise with local neighbourhood watch groups(I'm our local group co-ordinator). A new ANPR has been installed at a local shopping carpark, here's the email.


Dear Watcher or community contact

If you shop in Walsall please note the following changes introduced to the Crown Wharf Car Park.

Don’t be caught out and please pass the information on.

As of today the entrance barrier to Crown Wharf car park has been removed and your arrival will be monitored by an Automatic Number Plate Reader(ANPR).

You will be required to purchase your parking ticket when you are about to leave by entering your vehicle registration number into the ticket machine. Your time in will have been recorded by the ANPR.

Failure to purchase a ticket will result in you receiving a parking fine, your address will be retrieved via the ANPR system.

Please also note the first hour is no longer free.


So I guess disclosure of APNR positions is underway in my area.

I think this kind of thing is only to link the arrival of the car with its departure. Organisations such as local councils and car parks can request driver details in order to contact them and claim their charge.

 

[jnoiles]

The ANPR in patrol cars etc flags up a norty plate in a millisecond so it might be possible that the one used in this car park can also connect with PNC just to check?

Car parks are not police. They have no investigative powers.

I personally think that all forecourts should have ANPR with auto uplink to PNC. surely it is in the police interest to have an automatic monitoring system in place - not only to deter those who might try stealing fuel but to alert local plod if a norty car pulls in.

Whether its in the police interest or not, this is a terrible idea. The police have no need to know when I went to Sainsbury's.

Maybe also link it to the pump as well so as soon as the car joins the queue, that pump slows delivery to give the police a chance to arrive & cause a scene :devil:

And while we're at it why don't we just electronically tag everyone so the police know where they are at all times.

 

[pooroldcodger]

I am sure that they are not interested in you going to Sainsburys - but they rightly would be if you were driving a car that was not legitimate. I am sure that if Sainsburys thought that this was a major pr blunder they wouldn't have allowed it. Maybe they think like I do, that if their customers only ever drive a legal car what have they to be worried about by an ANPR camera? In fact I would rather go in to a car park that did have ANPR than not. But I doubt that this is the usage here for this camera.

 

[Shadeyman]

I am sure that they are not interested in you going to Sainsburys - but they rightly would be if you were driving a car that was not legitimate. I am sure that if Sainsburys thought that this was a major pr blunder they wouldn't have allowed it. Maybe they think like I do, that if their customers only ever drive a legal car what have they to be worried about by an ANPR camera? In fact I would rather go in to a car park that did have ANPR than not. But I doubt that this is the usage here for this camera.

My car is legal so I see no reason why my car should be photographed every available second. Yes we have to catch criminals but not at the expense of everyones right to privacy.

Because I'm a law abiding citizen I'm supposed to think its ok to have my every move recorded? ... :nono:

 

[Ziggy122]

I dont mind been photo'd when on driving on an ANPR road
Im Legal - All the box's ticked

But knowing where i am in like carparks and Supermarkets is a little OTT

Ziggy

 

[pooroldcodger]

My car is legal so I see no reason why my car should be photographed every available second. Yes we have to catch criminals but not at the expense of everyones right to privacy.

Because I'm a law abiding citizen I'm supposed to think its ok to have my every move recorded? ... :nono:

I can't think of a camera that is clever enough to only record the cars that are not being legally kept on the road, so you either photograph all of them in a given position, or none of them. Since most people would agree that it is a good thing that un-taxed and un-insured cars are found out, then I don't understand the problem. Wasn't the original point about whether the ANPR sites should be disclosed? So if you have an untaxed and uninsured car, and assuming you can read, then you just find out the locations and avoid that road. Simples! How does that help the majority of us?
In an ideal world we wouldn't have any cameras, but we would have proper, honest sensible police officers on patrol. But we don't live in that world, so we have to use technology. to our advantage. And is a database full of cars going about their honest business such a big risk to anybody? It is after all the car being recognised, not the individual.

 

[DaveMcT]

It doesnt matter where the car has come from or its going to. Its on the road without tax so should be tracked until the driver is caught. Taxed cars would get ignored.

There is no reason (sort of) why the APNR could not automatically send out a summons for a fine and unpaid tax. A computer does the recognising is not much more to link it to the DVLA.

The DVLA are quick enough to send out £80 fines when you forget to SORN your bike so why not sort out the toe-rags who drive about without road tax/insurance. But when the DVLA has a false address the driver is soon lost to the system.