The PPA's use of the CCTV cameras has been the subject of much controversy in Estonia over recent weeks, with the interior minister temporarily suspending their use as a result.

Roger Kumm, head of the PPA's prevention and criminal proceedings bureau, told ERR that before the system was suspended by the interior minister, there were 175 such cameras in operation.

"The license plate recognition function records a frame from the camera when it detects a vehicle's license plate. On average, the number recognition cameras recorded about 20 million frames in a month," Kumm said.

The data is stored for a month and a half on average before being overwritten.

It's one thing to have a big database, but it's another to know who uses it and how much. On average, the PPA system receives around 45,000 queries a year, Kumm said. Between April 1 last year and April 25 this year, the PPA had made 47,600 queries.

The PPA is not the only organization to make use of the database for queries. The Tax and Customs Board made 23,100 queries over the same period.

In March this year, the PPA made 4,576 queries, divided broadly into 5 separate categories.

Handling of serious crimes and covert criminal investigations (e.g. drug offences, economic crime, corruption offences, sexual offences, a total of 2,974 enquiries, or 65 percent of all enquiries), other criminal proceedings, mainly theft offences (1,171 enquiries), other cases (e.g. missing vehicles, suspicious vehicles, stolen trailers, suspected suicide, 274 enquiries).

A further 142 enquiries were made in the framework of misdemeanor proceedings (road accidents, fuel thefts at gas stations) and 15 enquiries were made in connection with wanted persons.

"Predominantly, the police use number plate cameras to investigate serious crimes and in covert investigations," said Kumm.

According to Kumm, 884 police officers have the right to query the PPA's number-recognition database, 442 of whom have actually used it. "Access to the information system is only granted to those who have a professional need to do so," he added.

The majority of the cameras are located in Harju , Tartu and Viljandi. According to Kumm, the cameras are mostly in larger cities and settlements and not in every municipality. "For example, there are no number cameras in Hiiumaa or in several towns on the mainland," he said.

Minister of the Interior Igor Taro (Eesti 200) suspended the use of the cameras until necessary amendments to the law are made, which consider the need to clarify the legal regulations, as highlighted by the Chancellor of Justice and the Data Protection Inspectorate.

PPA Director General Egert Belitšev. said in an interview with ERR that license plate cameras are an important tool for ensuring security and it is important for the PPA to get this system up and running again.

"For us, an important tool has been lost, and the question is not whether the PPA will be able to cope, but whether the Estonian people will actually accept the resulting loss of security. I understand all those people who talk about privacy and loss of privacy, but I also understand those people who talk about the sense of security. I think that from a legal point of view and from the point of view of this system, we need to find abalance between privacy and sense of security," Belitšev said.

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