Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FOI/25/007869/O

Version Date: 27/03/2025

The Alliance Operations Department has provided the following information.

Does Devon and Cornwall Police have access to any form of camera or other monitoring device along the Bodmin bypass between tuftdown roundabout and innis down junction /roundabout, that allows a police officer travelling along a road close by to be ‘pinged’ a registration to know that a person might be travelling along between those two roundabouts?

If an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) equipped vehicle was moving or stationary on any road, its ANPR cameras would record every number plate that passes and raise an alert to officers if it was of interest to policing for whatever justified reason. These cameras are very accurate and cover quite a distance. The officers in that vehicle could then seek to interact with a vehicle of interest that had ‘pinged’ in their vehicle.

We have a large number of ANPR equipped vehicles active across Devon and Cornwall 24/7 so that is entirely possible, especially given roads policing have a base in Bodmin, and routinely patrol the A30 amongst other key routes. Also, a large proportion of frontline officers in D&C Police also have access to an ANPR mobile phone app which gives them live alerts instantly and directly to them in their vehicle irrespective of whether it is an ANPR equipped vehicle or not.