ANPR cameras in the UK

Police force copies are deleted no later than 90 days after the read; national records 12 months after capture unless they are kept for a case. Most staff may search only the last 90 days (Home Office, National ANPR Service data protection impact assessment, version 4, January 2025).

Yes, on the map: it shows the 1,415 readers mapped so far; tap Near me for the closest. Police forces do not publish their fixed sites (RAC: “The fixed locations remain undisclosed as this information could benefit potential offenders”).

On motorway and A-road gantries, at zone boundaries and bus gates, at car-park entrances and in police vehicles. Of the 1,415 mapped here, 67 carry the name of who runs them, mostly councils and car-park operators.

It photographs each passing number plate, reads it as text and checks it against lists of vehicles of interest (Home Office, National ANPR Service data protection impact assessment, version 4, January 2025).

The plate, the time, the place, the direction and an image of the vehicle. The read is checked against lists of vehicles of interest, such as stolen, uninsured or untaxed vehicles.

ANPR itself reads plates. A fine follows only where a scheme uses it, such as a paid car park, a bus gate, a clean air zone or an untaxed or uninsured vehicle, under that scheme's rules.

Dedicated ANPR units, average speed cameras (they read plates at each end), zone and bus-gate cameras and some car-park cameras. A plain CCTV camera does not.

A speed camera van measures speed; an ANPR van reads plates. Types of speed cameras in the UK shows each kind.

Access is for authorised police staff for policing purposes (Home Office, National ANPR Service data protection impact assessment, version 4, January 2025). A person may ask a force for the data about their own vehicle under UK GDPR (a subject access request). There is no public search.

6 of the 1,415 readers mapped in the UK carry a Flock Safety maker tag (7 November 2026). Flock Safety is a US company; a Flock camera is one maker's ANPR camera. The UK's police network is the National ANPR Service.