ANPR – Automatic Number Plate Recognition

A major initiative will add around 100 new cameras to the ANPR network in Northamptonshire as part of an investment strategy to disrupt crime, support road safety and deny criminals the use of the county’s roads.

The £1.3 million investment – agreed by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold and Chief Constable Nick Adderley – will see new, fixed cameras across the county and marks a significant expansion of the ANPR network.

ANPR – Automatic Number Plate Recognition – reads the registration of passing vehicles and checks them across a number of databases, raising the alert if a vehicle is stolen or linked to crime.

The cameras will be used by Northamptonshire Police to fight crime and keep people safe, providing additional tools to detect crime, disrupt criminals who are using the roads and deter them from committing crime in this county.

The investment plan includes additional cameras:

• on the county’s major, strategic routes and at the county borders
• an increased ANPR footprint in rural communities, with cameras at strategic routes on roads in rural areas
• increased coverage in the county’s major towns

The plan also includes increased mobile ANPR capacity in police vehicles as well as mobile rapid deployment cameras that can be sent to hotspots around the county.

The fixed cameras will be deployed in areas that analysis shows are the most likely to effectively support the investigation of crime. Consultation with local people will take place before any new cameras are deployed. The expanded camera network is part of a wider strategy to strengthen crime fighting and links several initiatives, including the establishment last year of the road crime team to focus on denying criminals the use of the roads and the soon-to-be-deployed rapid response Interceptor cars.  Taken together, these initiatives significantly strengthen the tools available to help Northamptonshire Police fight crime and keep the county safe.

More information can be found on our ANPR Factsheet