Some criminals are using plates that can’t be detected by cameras
A new report has warned that the widespread misuse of vehicle number plates is endangering road users and posing a threat to national security. Researchers discovered that as many as one in 15 vehicles could be carrying plates designed to avoid detection by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.
Some of these are known as ghost plates, which feature a reflective coating that makes them unreadable by cameras. Criminals also use a technique known as plate cloning, where they illegally copy another vehicle’s registration.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety (APPGTS), who produced the report, stated that evading ANPR cameras can sometimes require “nothing more sophisticated than cellophane, leaves or a marker pen”. They explained that abusing the number plate system can enable a range of offences, from avoiding road charges and fines to facilitating drug dealing and organised crime.
The APPGTS recommended that the number of licensed sellers of number plates should be “significantly” reduced from the current level of 34,455 by introducing annual fees and higher standards. The investigation found that many sellers operate from private homes or small workshops, without any background checks.
Some individuals handling customers’ identity documents were found to have criminal convictions for violence and fraud. The report also called for the standardisation of plate designs, including a ban on 3D and 4D versions.
Sarah Coombes, APPGTS member and Labour MP for West Bromwich, stated: “This explosive report lays bare the threat posed by ghost and cloned plates. It also makes clear how the whole system is failing. It’s totally wrong that people can commit terrible crimes and then set themselves up as number plate sellers with no questions asked.”
She added: “Those selling these illegal plates have gone under the radar for too long – but now they’ve been rumbled. I hope the Government cracks down on them immediately.”
Simon Williams, RAC head of policy, commented: “It’s clear from this report that urgent action must be taken to stop the widespread abuse of number plates, which has serious and far-reaching consequences for our society from road safety to national security. Ghost and cloned plates have no place on our roads as no one should be able to drive a vehicle that’s invisible to enforcement cameras or untraceable by the police. It’s vital we introduce new, higher security standards for number plates and those who produce them.”
The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association, representing the majority of plate producers in the UK, said it “fully supports the recommendations of the APPG”.
A spokesperson for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) stated: “There are strict laws in place which demand number plate suppliers are properly registered with DVLA, and robust identification standards for buyers. DVLA works with police and Trading Standards to enforce these strict rules and anyone caught driving with illegal number plates can face up to two years in prison.”
The DVLA spokesperson added: “On top of this, there is a review on the current standards on number plates which aim to ban production of plates that are specifically designed to evade Automatic Number Plate recognition cameras.”
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