Automatic number plate recognition

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR; see also other names below) is a technology that uses optical character recognition on images to read vehicle registration plates. It can use existing closed-circuit television, road-rule enforcement cameras, or cameras specifically designed for the task. ANPR is used by police forces around the world for law enforcement purposes. It is also used for electronic toll collection on pay-per-use roads and as a method of cataloging the movements of traffic for example by highways agencies.

Automatic number plate recognition can be used to store the images captured by the cameras as well as the text from the license plate, with some configurable to store a photograph of the driver. Systems commonly use infrared lighting to allow the camera to take the picture at any time of the day. ANPR technology tends to be region-specific, owing to plate variation from place to place.

Concerns about these systems have centered on privacy fears of government tracking citizens' movements, misidentification, high error rates, and increased government spending. Critics have described it as a form of mass surveillance.

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Latest News for: anpr

Plans to crackdown on lorries in Weybridge with ANPR cameras

BBC News 22 Apr 2025
A Surrey council wants to use automatic number plate recognition cameras to spot overweight HGVs. .

Hikvision partners with FWA to integrate its ANPR cameras into their logistics yard management solution, DuckTheLine (Hikvision Digital Technology Co Ltd)

Public Technologies 16 Apr 2025
Hikvision partners with FWA to integrate its ANPR cameras into their logistics yard management solution, DuckTheLine ... Hikvision's ANPR functionality also enables DuckTheLine to track vehicles when on-site.
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