What are ANPR cameras?
Automatic number plate recognition (or ANPR) technology allows computers to read number plates from camera images. In many cases these are specially designed cameras for reading number plates, although number plate recognition software exists to identify number plates from the footage recorded using conventional CCTV cameras.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras and the associated databases are used by city councils, private companies, and the police in New Zealand. The following section in New Zealand Police documentation gives an overview of how police describe and use the capability.
NZ Police Instructions: Automatic Number Plate Recognition, 14 February 2024
Where is the ANPR data going?
It is publicly acknowledged that there are two major systems being sent ANPR data in New Zealand. One system is called vGrid and the other system is called Auror. Both systems are known to provide the collected information to the police.
The system called vGrid is operated by the company Safe City Group Limited under the SaferCities brand.
“We all want safer communities – with less antisocial behaviour. We want our communities to thrive, to enjoy more traffic to our local businesses, and to strengthen the feeling of a vibrant, successful community. That’s why SaferCities exists: to make cities safer through proactive CCTV consultation and secure connection to local and national police through the vGrid platform.”
About Us – Safer Cities, https://www.safercities.com/about-us/, Accessed 21 May 2024
A series of information requests that CityWatch NZ sent to city councils has resulted in Auckland Transport, Hamilton City Council, and Wellington City Council confirming that they supply data from their cameras to vGrid.
Tauranga City Council reports that they supply video feeds to police via vGrid “during incidents to assist in public safety” and use vGrid to send video in response to police requests.
Dunedin City Council, Christchurch City Council, Upper Hutt City Council, Palmerston North City Council, and Hutt City Council have denied supplying data from their cameras to vGrid, SaferCities, or Safe City Group Limited.
Porirua City Council was unclear about whether they supply footage or data to vGrid, SaferCities, or Safe City Group Limited with their reply stating that “We provide footage on request to Police only”. Nelson City Council and Invercargill City Council have failed to respond to the information request after over five months.
CityWatch NZ also asked if the city councils were supplying data, images, or footage to Datacom Group Ltd and the commercial relationship that each council has with Datacom Group Ltd. Datacom provides information technology services to organisations. Hamilton City Council’s reply stated that they have 460 cameras feeding into Datacom. Auckland Transport and some other councils stated they had multimillion-dollar contracts paying Datacom Group Ltd for other IT services though were not supply Datacom with data, images, or footage from their cameras.
All New Zealand city councils that replied to CityWatch NZ’s information requests stated that they are not supplying ANPR data to Auror and are claiming not to have a commercial relationship with Auror in 2022/2023. The Auror system collects camera data from companies such as service stations, retail stores, and supermarkets then makes that information available to police.
“Records show officers tap more [than] 600 times a day into the private company Auror’s platform that hosts camera stills and video – amounting 220,000 times last year. Between 5000 and 10,000 cameras around the country connect to Auror and one other ANPR platform, mostly to combat shoplifting and retail crime.”
‘CCTV is ubiquitous’ – police cleared to tap into private cameras, RNZ, 24 October 2024 (Editor’s note: “than” added by CityWatch NZ)
How many ANPR cameras are being installed on the roads in New Zealand’s cities?
According to replies to CityWatch NZ’s information request to city councils, Auckland Transport and Hamilton City Council have installed the most ANPR cameras in the last five years.
Auckland Transport reported installing 500 new cameras, all with ANPR capabilities. Auckland Transport also reports that they have more than 4,870 cameras operating and connected to vGrid.
Hamilton City Council reported that they have installed 60 new ANPR cameras in the last five years and have 460 cameras feeding into the vGrid system as well as a Datacom Group Ltd system.
Tauranga City Council reported that they have installed 51 ANPR cameras and Christchurch City Council reports installing 45 ANPR cameras.
Wellington City Council and Dunedin City Council reported installing 3 ANPR cameras each. However, Dunedin City Council reports that these three cameras are used in the Great King Street carpark building, not on the roads.
Other city councils did not reply to the request or stated that they had not installed ANPR cameras.
What is ANPR data being used for?
According to New Zealand Police documentation, ANPR technologies and databases are used to track “vehicles of interest”. The Police documentation identifies two primary applications, “The investigation of offences” and “intelligence analysis that can build a “pattern of life” picture of a particular vehicle(s) pattern of movements over a period of up to 12 months”. Some of this tracking can be real-time and it can also be used for retrospective ‘after the fact’ tracking.
“At SaferCities, we help prevent and solve crime so you can build safer, more vibrant communities.
Our integrated approach includes consulting on CCTV infrastructure and connecting security assets. We allow data to be securely shared with local and national police, as well as authorised 3rd parties, to stamp out crime and help communities thrive.”
Safer Cities, https://www.safercities.com/, Accessed 09 December 2024
In addition to the fixed cameras providing data to police, some city councils have deployed vehicle-mounted ANPR cameras which are used for parking infringement activities.
Hamilton City Council’s answers to an information request (LGOIMA 349383), 15 September 2023
Why are people concerned about ANPR technology?
There are a range of concerns about surveillance cameras in general and the increasing use of automated software to analyse and use the camera footage. RNZ published an investigation in 2022 about CCTV cameras and facial recognition technology. It contained concerns about the cost of installing and operating cameras. RNZ reported that more than $29 million had been spent by government organisations over a 5-year period on installing CCTV cameras and annual running costs were over $5.4 million. Concerns about privacy breaches and the ineffectiveness of cameras in preventing crime were also presented in that article.
“Feel uncomfortable at the thought of being filmed? You’re not alone. Forty-one percent of New Zealanders are concerned about CCTV and facial recognition technology.”
The streets have eyes, RNZ, 19 April 2022
Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology makes it easy for the authorities to create databases of the movements of people. This can be a form of mass surveillance and be considered a violation of people’s privacy. As seen in other cities, Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology is used in schemes to restrict and penalise travel. CityWatch NZ has reported on the situation in Manchester, UK where the authorities have made multiple attempts to install and used ANPR technology to penalise automobile travel.
In recent years, New Zealand Police have been found to have misused the capability and put people under surveillance using false pretenses.
“Just one month after the Privacy Commissioner warned police to do better when it comes to number plate cameras and privacy, a detective pretended a car was stolen so they could track it.
OIA documents show police made the false report while hunting three women who travelled to Northland last October, sparking a Covid-19 lockdown.
Triggered by the stolen vehicle alert that police fed into two privately owned camera networks, automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras pinged the women’s cars at least 10 times…
…Police eventually caught up with the three women in Auckland later. The women’s application to travel to Northland had been approved by a government agency”
Police made false report to use ANPR cameras to track women who triggered Northland lockdown, RNZ News, 28 September 2022
The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties has concerns about the technology being used to create large and searchable databases of tracking data on people and this being used to query an individual’s movements.
Further reading on this issue
What Has Been Happening with Number Plate Recognition Cameras in Manchester, UK?
