Greens London assembly member Sian Berry said it was “appalling” that the force would have full access to a “massive database” of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) data from the expanded ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) in capital. Members of the Independent Advisory Group on ANPR called the plans “huge increases in surveillance in London” and warned they could have a “disproportionate effect on ethnic minority communities because of the placement of the cameras”. When he was mayor of London, Boris Johnson gave the Met limited access to ANPR cameras in 2014. Khan extended those powers in May to include the whole of inner London, home to 3.8 million people. Campaigners say this means the Met will have access to road photographs showing the color and make of vehicles, and potentially images of drivers’ faces and people walking on the pavement. They argue that the decision to extend the Met’s powers was unlawful because it was granted without proper consultation. Berry, who is leading the legal challenge with the digital rights group Open Rights Group, urged the mayor to reverse his “hasty decision”. “I am deeply disappointed that the mayor did not heed repeated warnings that sharing cameras from the extended clean air zone with the police was a huge increase in surveillance of Londoners that should not be signed off by his office,” she said. “I have been telling the mayor since 2019 that sharing this data with the police is wrong and that Londoners should have their say in any decision. With so many horrific revelations bringing trust and confidence in our police to an all-time low, Londoners should have been asked whether they would be trusted with this massive database of their daily commutes.” The campaigners, who are funding £30,000 to pay for the legal challenge, have sent Khan a letter notifying him they intend to take action. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST A spokesman for the Mayor of London said they would respond to the letter in due course, adding: “Modern technology has a vital role to play in protecting Londoners and tackling serious crime. The use of traffic cameras for ANPR has been in place since 2015, having been introduced by the previous mayor.’ The Met Police did not comment, but told Sky News that the ANPR images were “highly unlikely to be of sufficient quality to identify the driver or passengers”. The force also added that Londoners can have “little expectation of privacy” when driving their cars.
