Number Plate Security
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In September 1998 the Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team (VCRAT) was established by the Home Office to develop and
implement a strategy to meet the government objective of reducing vehicle crime. VCRAT recommended the introduction of a
statutory registration scheme to control the supply of number plates, as well as the introduction of additional
security features on number plates. The first part of the strategy was implemented in January 2003 with the establishment
of a register of number plate suppliers. The number of businesses registered on the scheme at the end of August was
28,194, operating from 33,803 outlets.
The object of the scheme is to ensure that number plates are sold only to a purchaser who can show entitlement
to a particular registration mark and can provide verification of personal details. Number plate suppliers are required to
keep a record of each transaction for a period of three years. This is an important source of information for the
investigation of vehicle-related crime and the scheme has made it more difficult for criminals to obtain plates to which
they are not entitled.
The Vehicles (Crime) Act provides the power for a magistrates' court to fine suppliers and/or suspend them from the
register if proper records are not kept. Prosecutions for contravention of the scheme may be brought by the police or
a person appointed by the local authority who may enter premises to inspect the supplier's records. Enforcement powers
are vested in unitary authorities and district councils. It is hoped to introduce legislation to extend power of
enforcement to county councils and enforcement officers appointed by DVLA.
DVLA accepts complaints from the public informing us of contravention of the legal requirement under the registration of number plate suppliers scheme and will liaise with the appropriate enforcement authority. However, number plate theft remains a problem. Number plates are being stolen from parked vehicles and used to clone others, particularly in London where vehicles are cloned to avoid the congestion charge and parking fines. Although the Home Office does not hold statistics on numbers of cloned vehicles, each week DVLA refers around 80 cases of suspected cloned vehicles to the police. Approximately 60 per month require detailed investigation, the remainder tend to be the result of documentation error by vehicle keepers. To help combat the theft of number plates, DVLA is currently conducting a consultation on vehicle number plate security. The consultation allows interested parties to comment on proposed security features outlined in the document. At present, other than the registration mark there are no security features on plates to link them clearly and visibly to the vehicle on which they are displayed. Some of the security features under consideration include the display of the vehicle identification number, the make and model and watermark. Longer term options are bar coding, tamper proof plates and electronic tagging involving a tamper proof microchip incorporated in one or both number plates. The main benefits of introducing additional security features on number plates would be:
DVLA accepts complaints from the public informing us of contravention of the legal requirement under the registration of number plate suppliers scheme and will liaise with the appropriate enforcement authority. However, number plate theft remains a problem. Number plates are being stolen from parked vehicles and used to clone others, particularly in London where vehicles are cloned to avoid the congestion charge and parking fines. Although the Home Office does not hold statistics on numbers of cloned vehicles, each week DVLA refers around 80 cases of suspected cloned vehicles to the police. Approximately 60 per month require detailed investigation, the remainder tend to be the result of documentation error by vehicle keepers. To help combat the theft of number plates, DVLA is currently conducting a consultation on vehicle number plate security. The consultation allows interested parties to comment on proposed security features outlined in the document. At present, other than the registration mark there are no security features on plates to link them clearly and visibly to the vehicle on which they are displayed. Some of the security features under consideration include the display of the vehicle identification number, the make and model and watermark. Longer term options are bar coding, tamper proof plates and electronic tagging involving a tamper proof microchip incorporated in one or both number plates. The main benefits of introducing additional security features on number plates would be:
- to combat cloning of vehicles thereby significantly reducing their potential use for criminal purposes
- to assist enforcement by making vehicles more easily identifiable
- to ensure greater accuracy of DVLA and DVLNI vehicle records
Wed, 10 Mar 2004
