Police number plate recognition camera rules tightened

Police cameras that record motorists' movements must be more tightly regulated, Home Secretary Theresa May has ordered.

The 4,000-strong automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) network logs more than 10 million vehicles every day.

The government is to look at limiting access to the database of 7.6 billion images, details of number plates and the date, time and place of capture.

Privacy campaigners said restrictions on the ANPR network were long overdue.

The cameras capture the front of cars and photographs can include images of the driver and any passengers.

Ministers will consider how long these records can be held. The current limit is two years.

Mrs May says she wants proper accountability and safeguards in the use of this database.

It comes as a decision was taken to remove 72 ANPR cameras in Birmingham after it emerged their installation, in areas with large Muslim populations, had been funded through a Home Office counter-terrorism fund.

Home Office minister James Brokenshire told the Guardian the national changes were necessary for public confidence.

"Both CCTV and ANPR can be essential tools in combating crime but the growth in their use has been outside of a suitable governance regime," he said.

"To ensure that these important technologies continue to command the support and confidence of the public and are used effectively, we believe that further regulation is required.

"We are examining a number of options and will also be considering the work of the interim CCTV regulator, who is due to report to ministers shortly."

The government is also looking at introducing a lawful right for police forces to log the information and greater transparency over where the cameras are.

The system was rolled out in 2006 to track uninsured drivers and stolen cars.
Review 'overdue'

The cameras work by scanning registration plates and checking them against information stored in various databases to identify vehicles of interest to the police.

An ANPR camera can read a number plate every second.

However, civil liberties group Big Brother Watch branded the network "an unnecessary and indiscriminate invasion of privacy."

Campaign director Dylan Sharpe said the review was "long overdue".

"ANPR gives the state the ability to track every car journey we make. It is about time that some restrictions were placed on the use of this intrusive technology."

The organisation is funded by the Taxpayers' Alliance pressure group, which lobbies for lower taxes and greater government efficiency.

Police say use of the cameras has led to the arrest of burglars, robbers and drug dealers, among others, and that they target criminals and not innocent law-abiding motorists.







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ASBO Hounds Not Number Plate Fans

Dog Gang - Watch a funny movie here

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Next DVLA Number Plate Auction Announced

The Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire is the setting for the next three-day auction commencing on the 4th August. Go to http://dvlaregistrations.direct.gov.uk/auctions to view the 1500 registrations on offer.

DVLA Personalised Registrations has secured a limited number of free tickets enabling registered bidders to visit the motor museum containing the world's finest collection of historic British cars.

Number plates in the auction include 8 O (10,000) C44 RLS (900) BMW 80Y (900) and TVR 80Y (400).




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Lucky number plates go up in value when times are bad

The basis for many superstitious beliefs may be little more than fantasy but their economic effects are all too real. According to Travis Ng and colleagues at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, casual estimates suggest that between $800 and $900 million is wiped off the value of US businesses every Friday the Thirteenth! Now Ng's team has explored the economic cost of superstition by comparing the value of Hong Kong car number plates purchased through auction from 1997 to 2009.

The new research focuses particularly on the presence of 4s and 8s in Hong Kong plates. There's a consensus in Hong Kong that '8', which rhymes in Cantonese with 'prosper' or 'prosperity', is a lucky number, whereas '4', which rhymes with 'die' or 'death', is an unlucky number.

Controlling for visual factors that affect price (for example, plates with fewer digits are more sought-after) Ng's team found that an ordinary 4-digit registration plate with one extra lucky '8' was sold 63.5 per cent higher on average. An extra unlucky '4' by contrast diminished the average 4-digit plate value by 11 per cent. These effects aren't trivial. Replacing the '7' in a standard 4-digit plate with an '8' would boost its value by roughly $400.

As well charting the monetary value of superstitious beliefs, Ng's study was also able to record how the economic influence of superstition varies according to ongoing macroeconomic circumstances. For instance, the presence of a '4' in a plate always drops its value, but during bad economic times, the diminution in value is greater. On a day that the stock market had dropped by 1 per cent, the 'cost' of having a '4' in a standard 4-digit plate was increased by 19.9 per cent. 'A "4" is bad,' the researchers wrote, 'but it is even worse in bad times.'

Curiously, the effect of ongoing market conditions on the impact of 4s and 8s wasn't equal. The stock market price exaggerated the 'cost' associated with an extra '4' on both 3-digit and 4-digit number plates, but it only affected the premium associated with having an extra lucky '8' on 3-digit plates. 'We are not able to come up with a good explanation for the asymmetric effects,' the researchers said.

'We have shown that the value of superstitions can be economically significant,' the researchers concluded. 'We have also shown that some results are consistent with the view that people tend to be more superstitious in bad times.'


Ng, T., Chong, T., & Du, X. (2010). The value of superstitions. Journal of Economic Psychology, 31 (3), 293-309 DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2009.12.002

Ireland introduce bicycle number plates

UP to 1,000 bicycles are to be fitted with number plates. The new scheme, to be launched in Co Mayo, is designed to increase awareness of road safety for cyclists.

Only vehicles with combustion engines have to carry designated number plates, under current law.

But Noel Gibbons, road safety officer with Mayo County Council, said that the bicycle registration scheme would bring cyclists into line with drivers of larger, more powerful road vehicles and was hoping it would give them a higher visibility.

"The purpose of the number plates is to raise awareness of cycle safety and encourage more people to take the two-wheel mode of transport, rather than four wheels," he said.

"We also want to get the young cyclist to remember that they have a responsibility for their own safety when using a bicycle.

"The number plates are made from a reflective material and will be hung under the bicycle saddle, increasing the chances of other road users seeing the cyclist. They can be customised or personalised to show the name of the cyclist, making them a great novelty gift for every child," Mr Gibbons added.





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Vespa number plate sells for 1185 pounds

Vespa fans are used to adorning their two-wheeled wonders with accessories but only one devotee can now show off the ultimate add on.

For Neil Little placed the winning bid on the personalised plate VE55SPA during first of two DVLA Personalised Registrations auctions being held this summer.

Neil, who paid to total of 1,185 pounds for the registration, will soon be sporting it on his new, limited edition, Vespa LXV.

"I have private plates on all my vehicles but I believe this one will really stand out from the crowd. It's the ultimate registration for my scooter!" Said the 40 year old carpenter from Meopham, Kent.

"I don't usually spend the amount I did on the VE55 SPA plate but, as soon as I saw it was going under the hammer knew I just had to have it."

The second DVLA Personalised Registrations auction of the summer is set to commence on August 4, at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire.




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Number plates for the future

A car fan from Harrow splashed out on Monday morning when he bought a collection of personalised registrations encompassing the new 60-series within minutes of them being released for sale.

Rishi Gautam (pronounced Gotam) has patiently waited for the 60's release to buy a series of registrations which represent his surname; GG 60TAM, MR 60TAM, DR 60TAM and MS 60TAM.

While he already has the number plate R15SHE on his Jaguar X Type, he spent just shy of 2,800 pounds to secure the collection of 60 registration plates for his future generations.

The automotive design engineer said: "I'm a self confessed petrol head. I love everything about cars and I especially admire private number plates."



"Although I've owned R15SHE since 1997, I've always wanted to add more plates to my collection and have been looking for ways in which to spell my surname.

"After researching the possibilities I realised a couple of years ago the 60 series would be ideal and have since just sat back and played a waiting game. I contacted the DVLA and asked when they'd go on sale and have since had Monday, June 7, in my diary."

He added: "I'm extremely proud of my surname and wanted some personalised registrations to show it off and my collection will do just that even though I've bought them for my future wife and children!"

Explaining his reasoning behind the purchases, Rishi added: "I wanted plates to directly represent my surname, hence buying GG 60TAM and MR 60TAM. I have high hopes for a son or daughter of becoming a doctor and so I couldn't resist
DR 60TAM. MS 60TAM would sit well on my wife's car."

In order to secure his four number plates, Rishi went online and bought them in quick succession. The 60 figure will indicate all brand new vehicles registered for road use from September 1, 2010.





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