24/07/2013

Use Of Numberplate Recognition Software Ruled Unlawful

Hertfordshire Constabulary has been told that they must stop using number plate recognition technology, as it is in breach of the law.

Watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Officer (ICO), found that the force had not carried our required privacy impact checks.

Stephen Eckersley, the ICO head of enforcement said that the use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) needed to be proportionate, and that: "It is difficult to see why a small, rural town such as Royston requires cameras monitoring all traffic in and out of the town 24 hours a day.

"After detailed inquiries, including consideration of the information Hertfordshire Constabulary provided, we found that this simply wasn't the case in Royston."

The ICO's ruling may have wider significance for the gathering of number plate data in the UK.

(MH/JP)

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