The National ANPR Find & Profile Tool is a secure interface that enables UK policing to access Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) data for vehicles identification, mapping, and investigations.
How it works
The ANPR Find & Profile Tool has been developed by the Home Office’s Accelerated Capability Environment team and then transitioned to PDS.
The tool supports the identification of vehicles of interest, mapping of movement patterns, and profiling of activity linked to organised crime, travelling offenders, and major investigations. It integrates with the National ANPR Service (NAS), which aggregates data from across all UK police forces and law enforcement agencies, ensuring consistency and compliance with NAS People, Location, and Event standards.
Benefits
The ANPR Find & Profile Tool enables policing to access data to generate actionable insights for investigations, intelligence development, and operational planning.
- It enhances intelligence-led policing through data-driven insights.
- It supports cross-force collaboration and national investigations.
- It reduces duplication and improves investigative efficiency.
Learn more about member benefits on our dedicated Members page.
What we need
- Access credentials and user authorisation.
- Defined investigative or intelligence objectives.
- Force-level data access policies and governance alignment.
- Stakeholder contacts for onboarding and support.
- Agreement to national data usage protocols.
What you get
- Access to national ANPR data via the Find & Profile Tool.
- Vehicle movement analysis and profiling capabilities.
- Integration with national intelligence frameworks.
- Support for operational planning and investigations.
- Compliance with national standards and audit requirements.
Use cases
Policing have used the ANPR Find & Profile Tool to investigate a series of linked burglaries across multiple counties. By analysing ANPR data, officers identified a suspect vehicle pattern and mapped its movements across regional borders. The investigation involved the coordination of multiple neighbouring forces and led to the arrest of the offenders and the recovery of stolen property, demonstrating the value of national ANPR Find & Profile Tool in supporting complex investigations.
