Driven by innovation – The UK National ANPR Service

22 November 2017

Learn how Leonardo technology is helping transform UK policing through its key role delivering the Home Office's ambitious National ANPR Service.

The issue of national security, and the safety of its citizens, remains high on the political agenda. As such, we all expect our Law Enforcement Agencies to have the latest technology at their disposal to ensure they have all they need to protect our way of life.

Automated Number Plate Recognition Systems (ANPR) – also known as Automated Licence Plate Recognition Systems (ALPR) – are just one of the ways in which technology is helping those charged with our safety and protection.

At the UK’s National ANPR Conference in November 2017, the largest and most performant ANPR software solution in the world was presented to delegates. Called the National ANPR Service (NAS), the programme is a landmark capability able to return high performance real-time alerts, whilst simultaneously supporting complex analytical function to support the UK’s Law Enforcement Agencies.

This ambitious programme was developed by Leonardo in partnership with the UK Home Office and Police Forces with the company’s Enterprise Operating Centre (EOC) software solution at its heart. The scale of the programme is immense and at full capacity, will see the system ingest over 50 million reads per day, with the capacity to store over 50 billion reads within its data centre.

Leonardo’s products are developed through close cooperation with our customers and end-users. We listen to their challenges and needs; ensure that we understand the operational context – the reality of their day to day duties – and how our products can thereby add value to their work. It is as a result of this ‘needs-based research’ that we are able to produce the most advanced ANPR / ALPR systems in the world.

In addition to the core NAS capability being provided by the Leonardo software, the team is also looking to further improve the ability to put the right data in the hands of the officers.

Due to the company’s extensive experience in data management, information assurance and systems integration, Leonardo is also looking to develop a portfolio of mobile applications to facilitate the fast, but secure, access to information key to operational policing.

Whatever challenges arise, our close working relationship with customers such as the UK Home Office and Police Forces – combined with the Leonardo drive for innovation – means we will continue to deliver industry-leading ANPR systems that better equip end-users to enhance the safety and security of a nation and its citizens.

For more on the security capability of Leonardo, please see our Security domain pages

For further details on our ANPR / ALPR products in operation around the globe, please contact our programme team.

Download the ELSAG® Fixed ANPR System fact sheet