ANPR Cameras In Lagos: These Are All You Need To Know - Exclusive Images

It is no news that the Lagos State Govt has deployed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) for use at the Ikeja axis for those that violate a traffic law, confirming this, a lady tweeted this and warning all motor users to be wary of Ikeja axis.

The location of this camera still remain sketchy as LASG decided to keep mute on its location but feelers are saying the cameras are installed close to Alausa secretariat and some other parts of the state. Gone are the days, when VIOs chase vehicles around the streets, these cameras are set to replace the VIOs and hold every driver accountable for his/her offenses.

Automatic number plate recognition according to Wikipedia can be used to store the images captured by the cameras as well as the text from the license plate, with some configurable to store a photograph of the driver.

The systems commonly use infrared lighting to allow the camera to take the picture at any time of day or night, with the ANPR technology taking into account plate numbering variations from place to place.

The machine put in place is called the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and it comes in form of a CCTV. To the drivers, its just an ordinary CCTV but to the government, its a tracking device which helps to track and trail any defaulters.

Let's see how this ANPR works for public enlightenment. According to police.uk, An Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology 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 terrorists. ANPR provides lines of enquiry and evidence in the investigation of crime and is used by law enforcement agencies. It may be safe to say that it works alone without supervision on a 24/7 working mode.

How it works

As a vehicle passes an ANPR camera, its registration number is read and instantly checked against database records of vehicles of interest. Police officers can intercept and stop a vehicle, check it for evidence and, where necessary, make arrests. A record for all vehicles passing by a camera is stored, including those for vehicles that are not known to be of interest at the time of the read that may in appropriate circumstances be accessed for investigative purposes. The use of ANPR in this way has proved to be important in the detection of many offences, including locating stolen vehicles, tackling uninsured vehicle use and solving cases of terrorism, major and organised crime. It also allows officers’ attention to be drawn to offending vehicles whilst allowing law abiding drivers to go about their business unhindered.

Retention and access to stored data

ANPR cameras from police forces submit copies of vehicle registration marks to the National ANPR Data Centre (NADC) daily. ANPR data from each police force is stored together with similar data from other forces for a period of two years.

We have clear rules to control access to ANPR data to ensure that access is for legitimate investigation purposes. Members of staff only have access to ANPR data if it is relevant to their role and the majority of those who have permission may only do so for a maximum period of 90 days from the date it was collected. Some staff are authorised to access data for up to 2 years subject to authorisation of a senior officer.

Searches of ANPR data can confirm whether vehicles associated with a known criminal has been in the area at the time of a crime and can dramatically speed up investigations.

In a series of an investigation made by AutoReportNG and some insiders, findings show us that Soft Alliance is responsible for the software, upgrade and installation of the CCTVs in Lagos and we are just lucky enough to have the images when they did the training and test run with the VIS, Lagos.

See the exclusive images courtesy of Soft Alliance.

Images Courtesy:
Soft Alliance