Please keep an eye open for a Silver VW Golf which could be anywhere in the UK - Michelle Higgins, a young mother suffering from Post Natal Depression, went missing from Hemel Hempstead on Wednesday evening and her family, and the police, are getting concerned for her safety.   If you see her, or her car with its distinctive number plate "MAM", please call 101 at the earliest opportunity.   Let's hope if enough people are looking, we can get her somewhere where she can be looked after properly!

Thanks!
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/michelle-higgins-missing-mum-suffering-6091228

Edited 19 July, 201510 yr by bealine

Thread bump

Lets hope shes found soon!

Actually, would a mod pin this for a couple of days? Until theres more news available?

Hopefully there is a good and quick outcome to finding her.

 

England / Wales and Scotland are supposed to be covered by an ANPR System on the Highways to provide information to the DVLA now that there are no Paper Tax Discs on cars, and to fight Crime and Terrorism.

 

These are obviously not all sending Live Information and the information on registration numbers are

Grouped and sent, and Flagged Vehicle Registrations may be delayed before 'pinging' up when inputed to Systems with the Police, Security Services etc.

 

The ANPR System must have some ability to assist tracing a vehicles movements if a vehicle is travelling any distance in the UK though.

The ANPR System must have some ability to assist tracing a vehicles movements if a vehicle is travelling any distance in the UK though.

 

I'm not sure if they are allowed to just use it casually like that.

 

RIPA and RIPSA would apply.

It would not be casual though. Make it a 'Vehicle of Interest'

Police resources will no doubt have been used, and being used, and time & manpower given to trying to trace

the vehicle and the driver.

 

The Police have put out the Appeal just as they have done in the past, get a High Court Judge,

Government Minister , Prime Minister or who ever they need with the Authority to Authorise the use of the System

the UK Tax Payers are paying for.

It gets used on Fixed Sites & on Mobile Police Vehicles to Ping Registration Numbers of vehicles that might be carrying people suspected of being involved in criminal activities and those are only suspects until proven to have committed any crime.

Even those that might have been reported as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

(you can get stopped because the ANPR might show no valid MOT or Insurance,

and yet the vehicle might have it, only the DVLA / MIB Database (MID) was slow in updating, so no criminal offence was committed, only suspected.)

 

In Scotland they use the system to trace the movements of Criminals / Drug Dealers and those that want to Murder Mad Dog Adair quite readily.

 

The DVLA send a Penalty Charge for vehicles with no VED to Registered Keepers, 

and even charges to those not paying Congestion Charges are simple enough.

The programmes showing Central London have 'Flagged' vehicles being stopped often enough.

 

http://www.police.uk/information-and-advice/automatic-number-plate-recognition

To do that you need to have appropriately logged a case for carrying out actions under the RIPA / RIPSA otherwise it would be construed as unauthorised surveillance.

 

Tis tricky and only work on the margins of this stuff

Maybe the UK needs to do what it is supposed to do, 

Use all Modern Technologies already purchased to get Value for Money from Public Expenditure and use all possible resources to assist the forces of law.

(paraphrasing)

 

Pinging up vehicles without Insurance and a MOT is being done thousands of times a day,

but legislation to assist in a vulnerable 'Missing Person' needs the Police or Authorities to jump through hoops.

 

Anyway, all the best in finding her.

Unfortunately for every person that says ANPR should be used for the greater good there is another person who slams it's excessive use as too 'Big Brother'.

 

I'm sure she'll be found soon, fingers crossed.