April 21, 2025
THIMPHU – To strengthen road safety and support law enforcement in tackling traffic violations, the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) will begin installing Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at key locations across Bhutan by mid-2025.
Developed in collaboration with Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), the AI-enabled ANPR system will initially be deployed in Gelephu, Sarpang, and Thimphu. A major step toward modernising law enforcement and aligning with the government’s broader Safe City initiative.
According to an RBP in their social media on April 17, the cameras will be linked to a central monitoring centre, allowing real-time data transmission and analysis.
“The cameras will be integrated into the Safe City infrastructure, enabling secure data transmission to the RBP’s central monitoring centre,” the police said.
The AI ANPR camera captures images and sends to an AI model which detects vehicle license plates in real-time, “Once the camera detects vehicles in the image frame, the bounding box of the number plate is detected and cropped out from the image.” Then the image of the number plate gets extracted and stored into a database, according to DHI.
Key features of the system include automatic license plate logging, search functionality, and the ability to flag or blacklist specific vehicles. The system has been extensively tested under various environmental conditions, including both day and night operations and adverse weather scenarios. Officials said the cameras are capable of capturing clear images of fast-moving vehicles even in low-light settings.
“The reliability of the system depends on the accuracy of the AI model’s output and the robustness of the camera hardware to capture high-quality images in different conditions,” a DHI official explained. The software includes AI modules for vehicle detection, image extraction of number plates, and conversion of number plate text into searchable data.
DHI shared that the incorporation of AI into ANPR system will help ensure faster responses through instant alerts. This feature will help authorities to deploy limited resources precisely where they are most required, resulting in enhanced security and optimising traffic flow for both law enforcement and the public.
RBP shared that the system has been developed specifically to meet its technical and operational requirements and aligns with the government’s emphasis on homegrown solutions. This approach is expected to ensure long-term sustainability by reducing reliance on imported technologies and allowing for ongoing technical support from DHI.
Looking ahead, DHI’s DRIVE team from its Innotech Department plans to expand the system’s capabilities. Future enhancements include speed detection, advanced analytics such as vehicle type classification, and integration with the Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority.
Once fully operational, the AI-powered ANPR system is expected to play a vital role in improving road safety, supporting law enforcement, and optimising traffic flow across the country.