Brussels police gain 'indispensable' access to ANPR cameras to solve crimes

Automatic number plate recognition cameras initially intended for the Brussels low-emissions zone will now be shared with police, who hope to use them to solve shootings.

A total of 450 Brussels ANPR cameras are connected to a new digital platform called ANPR@GPI, Bruzz reports, giving the capital's six police zones instant access to the images.

All Belgian ANPR cameras must be connected to ANPR@GPI by March next year, but Brussels was given the priority due to the dozens of shootings this year.

“Now we have the ability to track everything in real time, from both the federal and local police – this speeds up and simplifies the investigation work,” said Koen Van Overtveldt, director general of resource management and information at the federal police.

“This tool is indispensable in solving shootings and is an additional instrument for the safety of residents, especially in Brussels.”

Van Overtveldt expects police will be able to make "enormous time savings" thanks to the system: “For example, in the case of a shooting where we had a number plate, until recently we were unable to locate the vehicle within minutes. We only had access to certain cameras and from certain locations.”

Interior minister Bernard Quintin (MR) also lauded the development.

“Tracking stolen or suspicious vehicles, reconstructing escape routes: that functionality is now available in Brussels,” Quintin said.

“It’s an important source of information that enables us to combat organised crime efficiently. Current events show that the urgency is highest in Brussels, but this platform must ensure security from Arlon to the coast.”

Officers who want to use the ANPR platform must state a reason for its use for each search. They can then enter a full or partial number plate, after which they can see the vehicle's most recent locations. A map also shows the nearest patrols in real time.

“This is all important information in our immediate response to incidents, but it will also help us to conduct investigations afterwards,” said Michaël Jonniaux, chief of police for the Montgomery police zone.

Jonniaux was appointed in April by Brussels public prosecutor Julien Moinil to oversee the roll-out of ANPR@GPI in Brussels.

Initially, the ANPR cameras were intended to monitor the low-emission zone and many are therefore located on the edge of the region, on the access roads.

But there are also mobile ANPR cameras and even police vehicles equipped with ANPR cameras, according to Jonniaux.

The ANPR@GPI project will cost a total of €10 million, and Minister Quintin is putting another €20 million on the table which all Belgian municipalities can use to purchase cameras.

“We will install as many as necessary,” Quintin said.

“If that means 5,000, then we will install 5,000. But the intention is not to put a camera on every corner.”