Illegal Plates could lose you your licence
Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 11:33 pm
MCN 18.01.06
by Andy Downes
Penalties for small number plates to be ramped up because they foil the governments planned new Big Brother spy network
Points on your licence for illegal numberplates could be part of a massive clampdown that will see every bike journey in Britain logged and stored on computer.
A plan for a huge new national spy network will see every CCTV camera near a road linked to a central police system - but the cameras cant read illegal number plates.
Police admit that because of this, new crackdowns on illegal plates are inevitable. And MCN has been told that plans are also in place to ramp up the penalties for small fines from fines to points on your licence.
One traffic officer, who asked not to be named, said: "We are all convinced the next step is going to be points. Fines are no deterrent."
Currently, if you're caught with an illegal plate, a rectification notice is issued (along with a £30 fine), which has to see the plate changed and inspected at an MOT station within seven days.
The crackdown on illegal plates would be introduced in parallel with the national roll-out of an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, which will see every road CCTV camera linked with those at places like petrol stations as well.
Information about every identified vehicle's location ata particular time will then be gathered through the Police national Computer in North London, analysed for evidence of criminal activity, then stored for up to five years.
It takes 0.2 seconds for the cameras to read a plate and a further five seconds for computers t find out if the vehicle is wanted in connection with any offences or is uninsured.
More than 50 local authorities have signed up for the scheme, which has the full backing of the Association of Cheif Police Officers (ACPO), and has the government has earmarked £24 million to get it up and running this year.
The APNR natioanl co-ordinator at ACPO is John Dean. He told MCN: "The APNR system is very sophisticated but many of the small and illegal number plates in use can defeat the software. Until now modified number plates have not been a major focus of policing. Now anyone with a non-standard plate faces action. The DVLA rules are very clear about what can and can't be used on a numberplate - anything outside those rules is illegal."
MCN has spoken to numberplate makers who estimate that as many as half the bikes on British roads have plates that deviate in some way from the legal requirements.
Dean added: "People think they can defeat APNR by changing their numberplates so they are unreadable - what will happen in these cases is they will be apprehanded by a dedicate ANPR chase team."
A typical team consists of a ANPR-enabled van, two squad cars and six police bikes.
Dean added: "There are definate links between drivers who commit traffic offences like driving without insurance and the likehood of them being a criminal."
A Department of Transport spokesman said: "We want the police to have all available means for enforcement at their disposal. If the police want existing punishments toughened up we will look at it closely. we are constantly looking for ways to improve enforcement in the light of the APNR roll-out."
by Andy Downes
Penalties for small number plates to be ramped up because they foil the governments planned new Big Brother spy network
Points on your licence for illegal numberplates could be part of a massive clampdown that will see every bike journey in Britain logged and stored on computer.
A plan for a huge new national spy network will see every CCTV camera near a road linked to a central police system - but the cameras cant read illegal number plates.
Police admit that because of this, new crackdowns on illegal plates are inevitable. And MCN has been told that plans are also in place to ramp up the penalties for small fines from fines to points on your licence.
One traffic officer, who asked not to be named, said: "We are all convinced the next step is going to be points. Fines are no deterrent."
Currently, if you're caught with an illegal plate, a rectification notice is issued (along with a £30 fine), which has to see the plate changed and inspected at an MOT station within seven days.
The crackdown on illegal plates would be introduced in parallel with the national roll-out of an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, which will see every road CCTV camera linked with those at places like petrol stations as well.
Information about every identified vehicle's location ata particular time will then be gathered through the Police national Computer in North London, analysed for evidence of criminal activity, then stored for up to five years.
It takes 0.2 seconds for the cameras to read a plate and a further five seconds for computers t find out if the vehicle is wanted in connection with any offences or is uninsured.
More than 50 local authorities have signed up for the scheme, which has the full backing of the Association of Cheif Police Officers (ACPO), and has the government has earmarked £24 million to get it up and running this year.
The APNR natioanl co-ordinator at ACPO is John Dean. He told MCN: "The APNR system is very sophisticated but many of the small and illegal number plates in use can defeat the software. Until now modified number plates have not been a major focus of policing. Now anyone with a non-standard plate faces action. The DVLA rules are very clear about what can and can't be used on a numberplate - anything outside those rules is illegal."
MCN has spoken to numberplate makers who estimate that as many as half the bikes on British roads have plates that deviate in some way from the legal requirements.
Dean added: "People think they can defeat APNR by changing their numberplates so they are unreadable - what will happen in these cases is they will be apprehanded by a dedicate ANPR chase team."
A typical team consists of a ANPR-enabled van, two squad cars and six police bikes.
Dean added: "There are definate links between drivers who commit traffic offences like driving without insurance and the likehood of them being a criminal."
A Department of Transport spokesman said: "We want the police to have all available means for enforcement at their disposal. If the police want existing punishments toughened up we will look at it closely. we are constantly looking for ways to improve enforcement in the light of the APNR roll-out."
