The UK has its own network of Flock-style AI cameras. So where’s the outrage?
(www.thebureauinvestigates.com)
I was thinking on this when I wrote my comment above, and I'm not quite sure.
Either there's a muddying of terms, where you have ANPR as a technology (which anyone could implement), and the police have their own, separate network of ANPR cameras. Then the police can obtain footage from private cameras as needed through warrants.
Or private entities submit their data to an ANPR database that the police maintain.
Regardless, there's not one big private network of ANPR cameras that the government have permitted to be installed on public land, and the police still have checks and balances in place to prevent abuse.