Source: Radio New Zealand
The Justice Ministry is rolling out automated number plate recognition for bailiffs. 123RF
The Justice Ministry is rolling out automated number plate recognition (ANPR) for bailiffs after running a trial of it.
Last year five bailiffs looking for fine dodgers used handheld devices to scan almost 5000 number plates at two Police checkpoints over two nights as part of the months-long trial.
Police’s widespread use of privately run ANPR use is subject to a Court of Appeal challenge, with the ruling still awaited.
The ministry said its bailiffs used the devices to speed up what was a manual phone-based process to confirm if a vehicle was owned by a person with fines or reparations.
“These do not store images or locations of vehicles,” said acting group manager of national court services Louisa Carroll.
Last July the ministry was enthused about it. “In just two days, this technology has revealed itself as an effective tool in the way the Ministry of Justice targets people who haven’t paid their fines,” it said.
A tender went out a few weeks ago for a supplier of ANPR hardware and software.
“The ministry has undertaken all relevant privacy and security assessments,” Carroll said.
RNZ has asked for copies of these.
For the trial, the ministry had a contract with Welllington company Arthur D Riley. The cost of that was withheld from an Official Information Act response.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
