ANPR Tracking - Auror - Surveillance Device Warrants
M B made this Official Information request to New Zealand Police
The request was partially successful.
From: M B
Dear New Zealand Police,
A Surveillance Device Warrant for a tracking device was applied for and issued to use the live alert function of Auror (Police's third party ANPR system) in the case of R v Meo (2022).
1. When was the first Surveillance Device Warrant applied for to use either Auror or VIBE (vGRID) as a tracking device?
2. What date was the first time Police used the Auror or VIBE (vGRID) application to set up a live alert / track a suspect?
3. How many warrants have the Police applied for to use either Auror or VIBE (vGRID) as a tracking device?
4. How many Auror or VIBE (vGRID) live alerts have the Police set up?
5. The privacy commission has advised the Police on several occasions, including on 28/07/2022, that real time ANPR alerts require a surveillance device warrant. I note that historic opinions held by the Police where inconsistent with this view. Please provide all emails between the Police and the officer of the privacy commissioner related to the view that surveillance device warrants are required for ANPR related activates, along with any documentation surrounding those emails.
Yours faithfully,
Mason.
From: M B
Dear New Zealand Police,
To clarify request 3, warrant is referring to a surveillance device warrant.
I am also requesting an additional information as follows.
6. Please provide any communications, publications, consultations, or reports since 2012 related to ANPR and it’s conformity with the search and surveillance act, along with any documentation surrounding those emails.
7. Please identify how many cameras and or contributors to Auror and VIBE / vGRID were indicated to the Police by those companies when engaged by those companies. This information may be held in the form of initial proposals or marketing materials. Please provide the date and document which you are using to identify this figure.
8. Does Auror allow for a warrant number to be entered with an ANPR search or live alert? And what verification procedures are conducted to ensure the validity of a live alert request before it is engaged?
9. How many audits have been completed for ANPR searches conducted by the police on third party databases including Auror and VIBE (vGRID)?
10. Have there been any investigations into the misuse of ANPR searches? How many, when, what was their role, and on what database?
Yours faithfully,
Mason.
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Mason
I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request below, received by Police on 18 September 2022.
Your reference number is IR-01-22-28651.
You can expect a response to your request on or before 14 October 2022 unless an extension is needed.
Ngā mihi
Catherine
Ministerial Services
Police National Headquarters
show quoted sections
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Mason
I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request below, received by Police on 18 September 2022.
Your reference number is IR-01-22-28656.
You can expect a response to your request on or before 14 October 2022 unless an extension is needed.
Ngā mihi
Catherine
Ministerial Services
Police National Headquarters
show quoted sections
From: M B
Dear Police,
Part 3 - Please reply in the same FYI.org.nz chain.
In relation to page 10 of the ANPR Police manual, available here: https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default....
1. When were the regulations surrounding "approved use of Third Party ANPR for active detection capabilities" put in place?
2. When did the Police first acknowledge the need for a tracking warrant and when did the first communications, reports, or any information identify such?
Yours sincerely,
Mason.
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Mason
I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act (OIA) request below, received by New Zealand Police on 22 September 2022.
Your request is being actioned pursuant to the OIA. You can expect a response to your request on or before 21 October 2022.
Kind regards, Dylan
Ministerial Services PNHQ
show quoted sections
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Mason
I refer to your request of 18 September 2022 for the following
information:
A Surveillance Device Warrant for a tracking device was applied for and
issued to use the live alert function of Auror (Police's third party ANPR
system) in the case of R v Meo (2022).
1. When was the first Surveillance Device Warrant applied for to use
either Auror or VIBE (vGRID) as a tracking device?
2. What date was the first time Police used the Auror or VIBE (vGRID)
application to set up a live alert / track a suspect?
3. How many warrants have the Police applied for to use either Auror or
VIBE (vGRID) as a tracking device?
4. How many Auror or VIBE (vGRID) live alerts have the Police set up?
5. The privacy commission has advised the Police on several occasions,
including on 28/07/2022, that real time ANPR alerts require a surveillance
device warrant. I note that historic opinions held by the Police where
inconsistent with this view. Please provide all emails between the Police
and the officer of the privacy commissioner related to the view that
surveillance device warrants are required for ANPR related activates,
along with any documentation surrounding those emails.
To clarify request 3, warrant is referring to a surveillance device
warrant.
I am also requesting an additional information as follows.
6. Please provide any communications, publications, consultations, or
reports since 2012 related to ANPR and it’s conformity with the search and
surveillance act, along with any documentation surrounding those emails.
7. Please identify how many cameras and or contributors to Auror and VIBE
/ vGRID were indicated to the Police by those companies when engaged by
those companies. This information may be held in the form of initial
proposals or marketing materials. Please provide the date and document
which you are using to identify this figure.
8. Does Auror allow for a warrant number to be entered with an ANPR search
or live alert? And what verification procedures are conducted to ensure
the validity of a live alert request before it is engaged?
9. How many audits have been completed for ANPR searches conducted by the
police on third party databases including Auror and VIBE (vGRID)?
10. Have there been any investigations into the misuse of ANPR searches?
How many, when, what was their role, and on what database?
I have been asked to advise you that Police requires an extension of time
in which to respond to your request, pursuant to section 15A(1) of the
Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). Specifically, section 15A(1)(b),
consultations necessary to make a decision on the request are such that a
proper response to the request cannot reasonably be made within the
original time limit.
Police requires until 31 October 2022 to provide a substantive response to
your request. We are endeavouring to provide this to you as soon as
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Ngā mihi
Julián (he/him)
Ministerial Services Advisor
NZ Police National Headquarters Wellington
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From: M B
Dear Ministerial Services,
In the interests of clarity, please consider any of the above requests which have been presented as direct questions to be requests for a record of such information, including surrounding material of relevance or a list of available material.
Yours sincerely,
Mason.
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Mason
Please find attached the response to your Official Information Act
request, received by New Zealand Police on 22 September 2022.
Please accept our apologies for the delay in providing you with this
response.
Ngā mihi
Sarah
Ministerial Services | Police National Headquarters
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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
References
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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Mason
Please find attached the response to your Official Information Act
requests, received by New Zealand Police since 18 September 2022.
Ngā mihi
Sarah
Ministerial Services | Police National Headquarters
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===============================================================
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
References
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M B left an annotation ()
If anyone wishes to file a follow up request, please leave a comment with the link.
John Walter left an annotation ()
I made a request - https://fyi.org.nz/request/21129-anpr-tr...
John Walter left an annotation ()
Response received: https://fyi.org.nz/request/21129/respons...
M B left an annotation ()
For all those following this OIA, please note that the Police now hold this information in light of an Audit conducted in the last 8 months. A follow up request has been made:
https://fyi.org.nz/request/23086-anpr-au...
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M B left an annotation ()
Figures for the number of Surveillance Device Warrants (and other warrants) issued and rejected are published in the annual reports available here:
https://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/publ...
I understand that Auror's ANPR guidelines were released in 2020 and their contract was dated 2018. Presumably 2018 was when they received the ANPR tools, but we can't see any significant uptick in any tracking warrants issued....
Are the Police not using the tool's they've paid for, or is no one applying for warrants?
Link to this