30/09/2025
๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ
Greater Manchester residents are being asked to give their views on transferring control of former Clean Air Zone ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to help prevent and tackle crime, keep communities safe and support victims.
A six-week consultation has been launched today (Friday 26 September) to seek views on changing the main use of the cameras, which were originally installed for a charging-Clean Air Zone - now no longer going ahead.
GMP can already access information and number plate images from the cameras but need to request permission from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), which takes time and causes delays.
ANPR data can identify vehicles associated with crime and terrorism and can dramatically speed up investigations. Between January 2023 and April 2025, information from ANPR cameras have supported a range of police investigations, including 63 major and serious crimes, including murder, fatal road collisions, robbery, burglary and fi****ms offences and has helped to find vulnerable and missing people.
Transferring ownership to GMP would allow camera data to go straight into local police systems, so that officers can act more quickly in real-time to help keep communities safe and solve serious crimes.
But GMPโs current ANPR infrastructure is small compared to other similar metropolitan police forces in England. The move would bring their coverage up to a similar level of comparable police forces and make a real difference to community safety.
ANPR cameras are not speed enforcement cameras and will not be used for this purpose. They do not use biometric or facial recognition technology. Instead, as a vehicle passes an ANPR camera, the registration number is read and instantly checked against a national database records of vehicles of interest.
Itโs proposed that anonymised data from the cameras can still be used to monitor how well the investment-led (non-charging) Clean Air Plan is performing until Greater Manchester meets legal limits for nitrogen dioxide emissions in 2026.
Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Safer and Stronger Communities, Kate Green, said: โThese cameras have already provided crucial evidence to solve serious crimes in Greater Manchester, but the current process creates delays in investigations where time is of the essence. Now the charging Clean Air Zone isnโt going ahead, our plan is to provide value for money by putting this existing infrastructure to good use tackle criminal behaviour and keep our communities safe.
โBringing them permanently into the existing GMP network will bring our ANPR coverage up to a level thatโs comparable with other city regions, and provide the police with real-time access to number plate data.
โThe cameras will still have a secondary role to play in making sure the investment-led Clean Air Plan is on track, as well as support transport planning. But we want to hear what residents think of the change in the main use and ownership of the cameras.โ
Chief Superintendent Neil Jones, Greater Manchester Police, said: โWe donโt have the same level of ANPR cover that other similar forces have, and this can hold us back in protecting the public. The data supplied from these ANPR cameras has already played a key role in GMP investigations ranging from missing persons to serious crimes such as sexual assault and murder.
โBy taking on ownership of the cameras and having a direct feed into our network, weโll be able to act even more swiftly to protect people and communities and bring criminals to justice.
โANPR technology is crucial for detecting, deterring, and disrupting criminal activities. It plays a significant role in detecting criminal and organised crime groups using the road network, and is crucial in pursuing lines of enquiry, investigating and providing evidence in murder, kidnapping, burglary and serious road traffic collision cases.
โWe take privacy concerns very seriously and are committed to ensuring we follow national guidelines, including regular reviews that consider camera locations and impacts on privacy.โ
As part of the consultation, people can find out more about the change, and submit any comments or questions. It will run from 12am on Friday 26 September to 11.59pm on Thursday 6 November. A decision on future arrangements is expected by the end of 2025.
GMP is committed to regularly reviewing the location of ANPR cameras to make sure their use remains justified. In line with national policy, the location of ANPR cameras is not revealed as this could be a benefit to offenders.
Find out more and fill out the survey at: https://gmconsult.org/ANPR
