Police Manual Chapter - Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) - Update?

M B made this Official Information request to New Zealand Police

New Zealand Police did not have the information requested.

From: M B

Dear New Zealand Police,

Can you please confirm whether the police manual chapter on ANPR that is published at https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default... is current.

I note that this police manual chapter does not detail when a forward facing production order may [purportedly] authorise queries on Auror or vGRID, but the Auror guidelines updated September 2022 suggest one may be used in lieu of a Surveillance device warrant to "track a vehicle".

Police provide the relevant documents in relation that may address this inconsistency. An updated version of the manual perhaps?

Yours faithfully,
Mason.

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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police

Tēnā koe Mason

I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act 1982 request below, received by Police on 30 March 2023.

Your reference number is IR-01-23-10036.

You can expect a response to your request on or before 2 May 2023 unless an extension is needed.

Ngā mihi
Catherine
Ministerial Services
Police National Headquarters

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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police


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Attachment Helm Mason IR 01 23 10036 Response.pdf
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Tēnā koe Mason                                 

Please find attached the response to your Official Information Act
request, received by New Zealand Police on 30 March 2023.

 

Please accept our apologies for the delay in providing you with this
response.

 

Ngā mihi

Dylan

 

 

Dylan

Advisor | Ministerial Services | Police National Headquarters

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From: M B

Dear Ministerial Services,

Thank you for the clarification. I am missing the updated documents from my request that incorporate your noted amendments.

"Production order [or a general] search warrant" is also featured on page 17 (at [3] & [3.1]) of the Police manual ANPR chapter as methods that the "police may acquire the NPI data". Has that been removed too?

If not, do the Police propose that a production order or general warrant may continue to authorise retrospective ANPR queries? That is a difficult position to reconcile with the test for a production order or general warrant - a state encroachment on reasonable expectations of privacy. Both Auror and SaferCities (vGRID) have said that privacy is not engaged by retrospective ANPR databasing due to public collection methods.

Yours sincerely,
Mason.

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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police

Kia ora Mason

I have forwarded your OIA response query to the workgroup that prepared this and asked that they contact you directly on this matter.

Ngā mihi, Michelle

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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police

Kia ora Mason

 

In reply to your email of 27 April, the workgroup that prepared your
response have asked me to forward the following

 

We did not hold any documents that referenced any inconsistency and as
such, none were provided. As mentioned in our response dated 27 April
2023, reference to 'forward facing production orders' has been removed
from user guidance on Auror’s platform. Guidance on how to use their
platform is currently contained the ‘Help’ section of their online
platform. Auror no longer provides copies of user guides and as such our
Police instructions now direct users to the ‘Help’ section for
instruction. Police do not hold this information and have no reason to
believe it is held by another agency, your request is refused under s18(g)
of the OIA.

 

Our ANPR Policy however still correctly references that production orders
may be used to obtain information as required. While this is not the way
in which Police currently makes use of the Auror platform, it is still one
of the ways in which Police may obtain information and is therefore
covered in the current policy for the collection of all ANPR information.

 

Kind regards, Michelle

 

Ministerial Services Advisor

NZ Police National Headquarters Wellington

 

 

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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police

Kia ora Mason

 

Further to my email of 1 May 2023, the workgroup that prepared your
response have asked me to forward the following revised explanation to
your query regarding the response to IR-01-23-10036:

 

We did not hold any documents that referenced any inconsistency and as
such, none were provided. As mentioned in our response dated 27 April
2023, reference to 'forward facing production orders' has been removed
from the Auror user guidance and as such the guide document is no longer
provided by them.  Assistance on using the Auror platform is provided in
the ‘Help Centre’ of their online platform.  Police do not hold this
information and have no reason to believe it is held by another agency,
therefore your request is refused under s18(g) of the OIA.

 

Our ANPR Policy Standard Operating Procedures references that production
orders may be used.  This remains, in appropriate circumstances, as a
method to obtain information from another party.

 

Kind regards, Michelle

 

Ministerial Services Advisor

NZ Police National Headquarters Wellington

 

 

From: Ministerial Services
Sent: Monday, 1 May 2023 10:07 AM
To: '[FYI request #22334 email]'
<[FYI request #22334 email]>
Subject: Query re OIA response IR-01-23-10036

 

Kia ora Mason

 

In reply to your email of 27 April, the workgroup that prepared your
response have asked me to forward the following

 

We did not hold any documents that referenced any inconsistency and as
such, none were provided. As mentioned in our response dated 27 April
2023, reference to 'forward facing production orders' has been removed
from user guidance on Auror’s platform. Guidance on how to use their
platform is currently contained the ‘Help’ section of their online
platform. Auror no longer provides copies of user guides and as such our
Police instructions now direct users to the ‘Help’ section for
instruction. Police do not hold this information and have no reason to
believe it is held by another agency, your request is refused under s18(g)
of the OIA.

 

Our ANPR Policy however still correctly references that production orders
may be used to obtain information as required. While this is not the way
in which Police currently makes use of the Auror platform, it is still one
of the ways in which Police may obtain information and is therefore
covered in the current policy for the collection of all ANPR information.

 

Kind regards, Michelle

 

Ministerial Services Advisor

NZ Police National Headquarters Wellington

 

 

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