Cornwall drivers warned as new crackdown targets ghost number plates

Picture the car in front of you at the lights. The plate looks right at a glance, but a speed camera or an automatic number plate reader further down the road would see nothing at all. That is the trick behind so called “ghost plates”, and it is one of the targets of a new nationwide crackdown the government has just announced.

A new team funded to catch drivers who dodge the cameras

A new nationwide crackdown on illegal number plates will target drivers who dodge fines and organised crime gangs, as the Department for Transport funds a new roads policing team.

The National Roads Policing Coordination Centre (NRPCC) will bring together police forces from around England to share intelligence, improve collaboration and make better use of data. That includes trialling new technology, for example specialised goggles that can detect number plates where criminals have tried to make them unreadable by cameras.

Why a fake or hidden plate matters more than it looks

Illegal number plates are often used for criminal activity to evade speeding, parking or clean air zone penalties, and are frequently used for organised crime, including moving illegal goods on the road network.

Vehicles that hide from number plate recognition technology are harder for police to track down when they are stolen or linked to organised crime and other serious offences. Being able to better detect these illegal plates will mean police can track down criminals quicker, which the government says will not only make the roads safer, but reduce crime on the streets too.

Roads Minister Justin Madders said: “We’re cracking down on illegal number plates with new policing resource and innovative tech. Illegal number plates are used for crimes from evading parking charges to drug trafficking and we’re stepping in to protect drivers. This is a signal to anyone using illegal number plates that their time is up. We will catch you and our roads and streets will be safer for it.”

The three ways drivers try to beat the cameras

The government says illegal number plates can come in several forms:

• Cloned plates, where a vehicle carries a copied registration belonging to another legitimate vehicle, making it harder to identify.
• Ghost plates, where a transparent film is used to make the registration undetectable to cameras.
• Missing plates, where a car has no number plate at all.

📷Credit: West Yorkshire Police

Drivers using an incorrectly displayed number plate can be fined up to £1,000.

What the police are saying about the operation so far

Chief Superintendent Marc Clothier, Deputy National Coordinator for the National Roads Policing Coordination Centre, said: “Through the National Roads Policing Coordination Centre, our mission is to tackle the biggest risks to road safety, enhancing and developing the police response to criminality both on and off the roads.

“The police forces involved in our ghost plates operation have shown how effective a targeted and intelligence-led approach is in tackling offenders as well as educating and supporting drivers in ensuring their numberplates are compliant. The testing and sharing of new approaches and developing innovation has been incredibly valuable and we look forward to building on this as we progress to our next operational focus.

“Thanks to the funding from DfT, we have a valuable opportunity to support road safety and roads policing across the UK with enhanced national coordination, consistency, collaboration and communication across policing, government and the wider road safety community.”

📷Credit: West Yorkshire Police

Policing and Crime Minister Sarah Jones added: “Illegal number plates are not a victimless offence. They are used by criminals to avoid detection, move illegal goods and stay one step ahead of law enforcement. By bringing forces together and making better use of technology and intelligence, this new team will help police track down offenders faster and disrupt organised crime groups that rely on our road network. We are determined to give police every advantage in the fight against serious and organised crime, while making our roads safer for everyone.”

Part of a wider Road Safety Strategy

The government is also looking to go further through its Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade, which aims to save thousands of lives. The strategy has already consulted on stronger penalties for drivers using illegal number plates, reviewing number plate standards and improving enforcement.

The work builds on efforts already under way at the DVSA and DVLA, which are working closely with police to improve how illegal number plates are identified and enforced against, including supporting investigations into businesses involved in the illegal supply of number plates and supporting roadside operations.

📷Credit: West Yorkshire Police