Guidance

National ANPR standards

These documents relate to law enforcement automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and the National ANPR Service (NAS).

Documents

National ANPR Service technical specifications

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National ANPR Regulation 109 supplier specification

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Details

ANPR is used to help detect, deter and disrupt criminality at a local, force, regional and national level, including tackling travelling criminals, organised crime groups and terrorism. ANPR provides lines of enquiry and evidence in the investigation of crime and is used by the police and LEAs throughout the United Kingdom. The following documents are issued in respect of the use of ANPR by the police and other law enforcement agencies.

National ANPR standards for policing and law enforcement (NASPLE) is issued by the Home Office to set out the standards for the use of ANPR for law enforcement purposes by the police and other law enforcement agencies within the NAS.

NASPLE is divided into 3 sections:

  • Part 1: data standards which define the compliance requirements for ANPR data
  • Part 2: infrastructure standards which define the compliance requirements for ANPR infrastructure
  • Part 3: data access and management standards, which define the access requirements for access to ANPR data

National standards for compliance and audit of law enforcement ANPR (audit standards) is issued by the Home Office to set out the standards for the audit of the use of ANPR by the police and other law enforcement agencies.

Technical specifications prescribes the technical specifications for data within the National ANPR Service (NAS).

Supplier specification provides details of the technical requirements for installation of police in-car ANPR systems to meet the requirements of Regulation 109.

You can also read our guidance on developing and reviewing your ANPR infrastructure and the National ANPR Service data protection impact assessment.

You can read a notice which the rights of data subjects under provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 in respect of data held on the National ANPR Service (NAS).

Updates to this page

Published 24 January 2019
Last updated 235 JulyDecember 2024 + show all updates
  1. Document 'National ANPR Standards for Policing and Law Enforcement' updated as detailed on page 4.

  2. Added the compliance dashboard for Q1 and Q2 2024.

  3. Updated the national ANPR standards for policing and law enforcement. Details are in the 'document revisions' section.

  4. Added the compliance dashboard for Q3 and Q4 2023.

  5. Added the National Compliance Dashboard for Q1 and Q2 2023.

  6. Added accessible HTML version of National ANPR Regulation 109 supplier specification.

  7. Updated the National ANPR Regulation 109 supplier specification

  8. Compliance dashboard for quarters 3 and 4 of 2022 added.

  9. Version 2.3 of National ANPR Regulation 109 supplier specification added.

  10. Added dashboard providing metrics for compliance with National ANPR Standards for Policing and Law Enforcement (NASPLE) and the National Standards for Compliance and Audit (Audit Standards) by police forces and Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).

  11. Edited wording 9.4.3.2 - Disclosing of Camera Locations in Evidence in 'National ANPR standards for policing and law enforcement'. Includes addition of the Pensions Regulator as an ‘approved LEA’.

  12. 'National ANPR Service technical specifications' updated with the following changes: updated wording in section 4 and additions to VOI list naming convention.

  13. Technical specifications and national standards for policing and law enforcement documents updated. Changes are described within each document.

  14. Updated 'National ANPR standards for policing and law enforcement' and 'National ANPR Service technical specifications' documents. Added HTML accessible versions.

  15. Updated 'National ANPR Regulation 109 supplier specification'. See page 3 for a list of changes.

  16. Replaced National ANPR Regulation 109 supplier specification with a new version.

  17. Added Regulation 109 supplier specification document. Updated the technical specifications document.

  18. Updated national ANPR standards for policing and law enforcement to change addition of footnote at paragraph 9.5.1.

  19. Updated National ANPR standards for policing and law enforcement and National standards for compliance and audit of law enforcement ANPR.

  20. Updated to add National ANPR Service technical specifications document.

  21. Added a link to a notice which the rights of data subjects under provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018.

  22. Guidance on developing and reviewing your ANPR infrastructure has been published.

  23. Updated NAS audit and compliance standards document

  24. First published.

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