Consultation seeks views on number plate camera plans to keep Greater Manchester communities safe

Greater Manchester residents are being asked to give their views on transferring control of former Clean Air Zone ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to help prevent and tackle crime, keep communities safe and support victims. 

A six-week consultation has been launched today (Friday 26 September) to seek views on changing the main use of the cameras, which were originally installed for a charging-Clean Air Zone - now no longer going ahead.

GMP can already access information and number plate images from the cameras but need to request permission from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), which takes time and causes delays.  

ANPR data can identify vehicles associated with crime and terrorism and can dramatically speed up investigations. Between January 2023 and April 2025, information from ANPR cameras have supported a range of police investigations, including 63 major and serious crimes, including murder, fatal road collisions, robbery, burglary and firearms offences and has helped to find vulnerable and missing people.

Transferring ownership to GMP would allow camera data to go straight into local police systems, so that officers can act more quickly in real-time to help keep communities safe and solve serious crimes.

But GMP's current ANPR infrastructure is small compared to other similar metropolitan police forces in England. The move would bring their coverage up to a similar level of comparable police forces and make a real difference to community safety. 

ANPR cameras are not speed enforcement cameras and will not be used for this purpose. They do not use biometric or facial recognition technology. Instead, as a vehicle passes an ANPR camera, the registration number is read and instantly checked against a national database records of vehicles of interest.  

It's proposed that anonymised data from the cameras can still be used to monitor how well the investment-led (non-charging) Clean Air Plan is performing until Greater Manchester meets legal limits for nitrogen dioxide emissions in 2026.

Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Safer and Stronger Communities, Kate Green, said: 

“These cameras have already provided crucial evidence to solve serious crimes in Greater Manchester, but the current process creates delays in investigations where time is of the essence. Now the charging Clean Air Zone isn't going ahead, our plan is to provide value for money by putting this existing infrastructure to good use tackle criminal behaviour and keep our communities safe.

“Bringing them permanently into the existing GMP network will bring our ANPR coverage up to a level that's comparable with other city regions, and provide the police with real-time access to number plate data.

“The cameras will still have a secondary role to play in making sure the investment-led Clean Air Plan is on track, as well as support transport planning. But we want to hear what residents think of the change in the main use and ownership of the cameras.”

Chief Superintendent Neil Jones, Greater Manchester Police, said:   

“We don't have the same level of ANPR cover that other similar forces have, and this can hold us back in protecting the public. The data supplied from these ANPR cameras has already played a key role in GMP investigations ranging from missing persons to serious crimes such as sexual assault and murder.  

“By taking on ownership of the cameras and having a direct feed into our network, we'll be able to act even more swiftly to protect people and communities and bring criminals to justice. 

“ANPR technology is crucial for detecting, deterring, and disrupting criminal activities. It plays a significant role in detecting criminal and organised crime groups using the road network, and is crucial in pursuing lines of enquiry, investigating and providing evidence in murder, kidnapping, burglary and serious road traffic collision cases.  

“We take privacy concerns very seriously and are committed to ensuring we follow national guidelines, including regular reviews that consider camera locations and impacts on privacy.” 

As part of the consultation, people can find out more about the change, and submit any comments or questions. It will run from 12am on Friday 26 September to 11.59pm on Thursday 6 November. A decision on future arrangements is expected by the end of 2025. 

GMP is committed to regularly reviewing the location of ANPR cameras to make sure their use remains justified. In line with national policy, the location of ANPR cameras is not revealed as this could be a benefit to offenders.  

Find out more and fill out the survey at: https://gmconsult.org/ANPR

Notes to editors

• Greater Manchester Police does not currently have real-time access to, nor store data from Greater Manchester's Clean Air Zone ANPR cameras. 
• The data is currently owned by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), which is delivering the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan on behalf of the ten Greater Manchester local authorities.
• In preparation for a proposed charging Clean Air Zone (CAZ) ANPR cameras were installed at locations across Greater Manchester to be used to identify vehicles that didn't meet pollution standards. 
• The cameras are no longer needed for a Clean Air Zone but have already played a key role in helping develop the government approved investment-led Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan that has replaced the Clean Air Zone proposals – by helping TfGM better understand the age and location of higher polluting vehicles in areas of Greater Manchester. 
• The government's Joint Air Quality Unit has funded all costs associated with the ANPR infrastructure.