Operation Sentinel - Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)
Targeting criminals using Bedfordshire’s roads 
ANPR stops criminals in their tracks, using Bedfordshire’s roads. ANPR has been branded under Operation Sentinel as a successful intelligence led, crime fighting and road safety tool.
Bedfordshire Police is committed to targeting criminals, not law-abiding motorists and keeping the roads safe.
What is ANPR?
ANPR devices work by scanning vehicle registrations and checking them against information stored in a variety of databases, to identify vehicles of interest to the police, such as stolen cars or those involved in crimes. When a suspicious vehicle is recognised it can be the focus of targeted interception and enquiries.
How does the technology work?
ANPR is an established technology that reads vehicle number plates via cameras, which are compared against the Police National Computer (PNC) and other databases (such as DVLA) and when a match is made the officer monitoring the system receives an alert which details the nature of police interest in that vehicle. The officer will then determine the most appropriate course of action to be taken, this may be initiated through an intercept team working with ANPR in real time.
Facts and figures
- An ANPR camera can read a number plate every second
- ANPR enabled vehicles, along with mobile and static cameras are deployed on a daily basis across the Force
- ANPR cameras hits are monitored 24 hours a day
- ANPR has led to the arrest of burglars, robbers and drug dealers, among others.
- ANPR targets criminals, not innocent law abiding motorists.
- ANPR not only reduces crime but can be used to reduce road deaths and serious injuries on the roads by highlighting un-roadworthy vehicles – drivers without insurance are more likely to have been involved in other crimes
