ANPR use by the Gardaí

Den_M

Could someone please explain the uses of ANPR and its legal capabilities? Is it merely a database identifier or more like a speed camera or whatever.

Reason I'm asking is, the other day in heavy rain and busy but well moving traffic I noticed the blue lights in my rear view mirror for a few seconds, there wasn't anywhere safe to pull over at that second but then they were gone and I didn't see or hear anything else.

Speeding wasn't an issue, just wondering if a driver needs to be pulled over and identified etc. for any offences regarding license/insurance/tax etc or if fines or summons are just automatically sent via post after a while?

CreepingDeath

If your tax, insurance and nct are up to date and you were driving within the rules of the road then you've nothing to worry about.

Once I was driving on the N4 towards the city centre and a garda car had blue lights on behind me after it had merged from the M50.
I gave them a while and they didn't overtake me, so I pulled into the bus lane even though I was perfectly within the law.
They pulled in in front of me but never got out.

After a while, I realised they weren't stopping me and I pulled out and drove off. So it all depends... are you guilty of something, or did they just forgot to turn their blue lights off..

Den_M

Tax, insurance and nct are up to date and hadn't done anything silly just before that.

Had joined traffic from a roundabout just before that so maybe the lights were on from an earlier situation I guess.

There must be some legislation or guidelines that state exactly what ANPR can and can't be used for though?

easygoing1982

Den_M wrote: »

Could someone please explain the uses of ANPR and its legal capabilities? Is it merely a database identifier or more like a speed camera or whatever.

It's scans for no tax/insurance/NCT and speeding.it's connected to a central database where all the info of vehicles are held

Den_M wrote: »

Reason I'm asking is, the other day in heavy rain and busy but well moving traffic I noticed the blue lights in my rear view mirror for a few seconds, there wasn't anywhere safe to pull over at that second but then they were gone and I didn't see or hear anything else.

No idea what this has to do with your question about ANPR or why ANPR would enter your head because of it

Den_M wrote: »

Speeding wasn't an issue, just wondering if a driver needs to be pulled over and identified etc. for any offences regarding license/insurance/tax etc or if fines or summons are just automatically sent via post after a while?

No idea regarding post or pulling in

coylemj

Den_M wrote: »

There must be some legislation or guidelines that state exactly what ANPR can and can't be used for though?

There doesn't have to be any legislation, it simply means that when they pull someone over, they have a fair idea that there is something missing like NCT, insurance or whatever. They still have to go through the same procedure as if it was a random stop i.e. ask for insurance or question the driver as to why there's no NCT disc on the windscreen. It's basically a screening exercise to reduce the number of unproductive (from the police perspective) checks.

Just because the ANPR system says you're dodgy doesn't mean it's an open and shut case and nothing that comes up on the system is ever used in court. It just means that there's less chance of a law-abiding citizen getting pulled over for other than the breath test. It also means that if you have a fake insurance or NCT disc on the windscreen, you're far more likely to get caught.

Den_M

coylemj wrote: »

There doesn't have to be any legislation, it simply means that when they pull someone over, they have a fair idea that there is something missing

This was my question really I guess, is ANPR just a tool that indicates further investigation is needed on the behalf of the garda (i.e. pulling a car over) - or can it be used on its own to record evidence of wrong doing (speeding/no L plates showing/damage to car etc) without the car being pulled over.

Den_M

http://garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=106&Lang=1

Here's what it says on Garda.ie about ANPR

coylemj

Den_M wrote: »

This was my question really I guess, is ANPR just a tool that indicates further investigation is needed on the behalf of the garda (i.e. pulling a car over)

That's precisely what it's for.

Den_M wrote: »

or can it be used on its own to record evidence of wrong doing (speeding/no L plates showing/damage to car etc) without the car being pulled over.

Unless they pull the driver over, there's very little they can do. Plenty of cars with L-plates are driven by people with full licences while their children have learner permits. Damage to the car? What has that to do with ANPR?

Tigger

Years ago I bought a copy of an poblacht off a roadside vendor in the Dublin city center at 7 on a Saturday morning
I did it cos my mate said he had been drinking with Gerry Adams and that he was gonna be in the paper and I was working 10 -6 graveyard shift
The cops followed me home from o Connell st to dundrum with me driving all captain sensible
Apr would stop them wasting their time

coylemj

Any time the Gardai acquire new technology, it's open season for conspiracy/Big Brother theories. When the Gardai got their own computer system in the 1980s, the Sunday World ran a story that claimed they'd now be going around logging the number of milk bottles on each doorstep to track the movement of people. No wonder there are people who refuse to fill out census forms.

Den_M

See, this is what I mean:

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/motors/use-of-cameras-to-detect-untaxed-cars-challenged-in-high-court-1.1835511

This guy was being prosecuted for not having tax which was detected by ANPR from a garda car.

Quote from article : "The prosecuting garda accepted to me in court that he had not stopped the car, had not witnessed an offence and that the detection had been made by video surveillance equipment"

Wonder what happened in the case

carzony

The anpr doesnt have reliable insurance details anymore. I think it only scans for nct and tax now.

http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwio4OSH3ZnKAhUDig8KHQ62D1gQFggkMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fcrime-and-law%2Fgarda-forced-to-pull-technology-that-detects-uninsured-drivers-1.2198863&usg=AFQjCNEOL898SE431HKfJZnnJMCn04Rq-A&sig2=z0mZVC6Hp8V5fbkRfWLxKw&bvm=bv.110151844,d.ZWU

DublinDilbert

The anpr is quite good, cameras can even be side mounted to scan whole rows of cars in car parks very quickly. This is how many stolen cars are been recovered from the likes of apartment car parks.

It does some times get false hits, either misread the plate or database out if date. Was stopped myself coming back from the hardware store, he checked the disks and was happy enough.