Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR) trials

Alex Harris made this Official Information Act request to New Zealand Police

The request was partially successful.

From: Alex Harris

23 May 2012

Dear New Zealand Police,

The Police Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2011 noted that
the police were trialling Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR)
technology, with two vans in Auckland and Wellington and an
intention to deploy an ANPR-fitted patrol car in the Central
District from July 2011. ANPR technology raises privacy issues
around the tracking of ordinary citizens, so I would like to
request the following information under the Official Information
Act 1982:

* all advice (including briefings, internal reports, cabinet
papers, consultation with the Privacy Commissioner etc) on the ANPR
trials referred to in the 2011 Annual Report;
* any report (interim or otherwise) on the outcome of those trials

I would prefer to receive an electronic response. Queries about
this request will be automatically forwarded to me by the
fyi.org.nz website.

Yours faithfully,

Alex Harris

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New Zealand Police

23 May 2012

Dear Alex

We have forwarded your question onto the correct department and someone
will be in touch shortly.

Sincerely

Public Affairs Team

-----Alex Harris <[FOI #251 email]> wrote:
-----

To: OIA requests at New Zealand Police <[New Zealand Police request email]>
From: Alex Harris <[FOI #251 email]>
Date: 24/05/2012 02:50AM
Subject: Official Information Act request - Automatic Number-Plate
Recognition (ANPR) trials

     Dear New Zealand Police,
    
     The Police Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2011 noted that
     the police were trialling Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR)
     technology, with two vans in Auckland and Wellington and an
     intention to deploy an ANPR-fitted patrol car in the Central
     District from July 2011. ANPR technology raises privacy issues
     around the tracking of ordinary citizens, so I would like to
     request the following information under the Official Information
     Act 1982:
    
     * all advice (including briefings, internal reports, cabinet
     papers, consultation with the Privacy Commissioner etc) on the ANPR
     trials referred to in the 2011 Annual Report;
     * any report (interim or otherwise) on the outcome of those trials
    
     I would prefer to receive an electronic response. Queries about
     this request will be automatically forwarded to me by the
     fyi.org.nz website.
    
     Yours faithfully,
    
     Alex Harris
    
     -------------------------------------------------------------------
    
     Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
     [FOI #251 email]
    
     Is [New Zealand Police request email] the wrong address for Official
     Information Act requests to New Zealand Police? If so, please
     contact us using this form:
     [1]http://fyi.org.nz/help/contact
    
     Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be
     published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
     [2]http://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
    
     If you find this service useful as an OIA officer, please ask your
     web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
    
    
    

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From: MCMAHON, Teresa
New Zealand Police

24 May 2012

Dear Mr Harris

 

The Official Information Act 1982 states that requests for specified
official information may be made by any person who is "a New Zealand
citizen; or a permanent resident of New Zealand; or a person who is in New
Zealand" (section 12 of the Act).

 

In order to satisfy Police that you meet the terms of the Act, could you
please provide a postal address.

 

Thank you.

 

 

===============================================================

WARNING

The information contained in this email message is intended for the
addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be
subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which
creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you
are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this
message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this
message or any of its contents.

Also note, the views expressed in this message may not necessarily reflect
those of the New Zealand Police. If you have received this message in
error, please email or telephone the sender immediately

 

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From: Alex Harris

24 May 2012

Dear MCMAHON, Teresa,

I have responded by email with a postal address. Please note again
that I would prefer an electronic response. The Ombudsman's
practice guidelines note that "subject to certain exceptions,
information should be released to the requester in the way
preferred by the requester." It is hard to see how any of these
exceptions (impairment of efficient adminstration, contrary to
legal duty, prejudice interests in ss 6 - 9 of the Act) apply.

In addition, the purpose of requests through the FYI website is to
ensure the responses are _public_,and vaialbel to all with a simple
google search. That aim would be compromised by a postal response.

If scanned files are large, then the FYI website has an upload
facility; the link will be on the request's page here:

fyi.org.nz/request/automatic_number_plate_recogniti

Yours sincerely,

Alex Harris

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Brian van Dam left an annotation ( 7 June 2012)

FYI - I saw one of these ANPR vans in use in Auckland in May 2012. It was parked on Alfriston Rd, Manurewa, with 2 video cameras on its roof aimed at each direction of traffic (Alfriston Rd is a major arterial road).

I actually knocked on the van door and spoke to the police officer (in uniform) inside, as I had thought it may have been a Google scanning van ;) The officer claimed it was part of an operation observing a suspect, which was clearly untrue, as the cameras aimed only at the road, not at any property or driveway.

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From: MCMAHON, Teresa
New Zealand Police

13 June 2012

Attachment ANPR manual.pdf
4.1M Download View as HTML

Attachment Harris Alex 12 1658 1 reply.pdf
741K Download View as HTML

Dear Alex Harris

A reply to your information request is attached.

 

 

===============================================================

WARNING

The information contained in this email message is intended for the
addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be
subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which
creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you
are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this
message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this
message or any of its contents.

Also note, the views expressed in this message may not necessarily reflect
those of the New Zealand Police. If you have received this message in
error, please email or telephone the sender immediately

 

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