Car security A better car registration system
A car registration system that makes it harder for criminals
Are there better ways to ensure all cars carry legitimate number plates?
Bill Shouler, from the British Number Plate Manufacturers’ Association told us: 'It is quite feasible to introduce a range of security features into number plates to prevent illegal supply.
'These range from watermarks, Vin and other numbers through to chips or tagging systems, all of which are technically easy to incorporate.
'Manufacturers have also suggested a closer integration of their own records with those of DVLA to give a record from number plate manufacture through to final supply to the motorist.'
Superintendent Richard List of Aylesbury police deals daily with the results of how easy it still is for criminals. He has clear views on the changes he wants.
‘Registration plates need to be issued from a single government source. They need to be seen more like a passport than a quick job at the local garage.
'Perhaps the number plate should link to the person not the vehicle. Such systems have operated in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries since the '70s.
'We now need to think more intelligently about the high-volume crime of number plate theft. The long term solution to this issue lies in government policy, not the police.
'Over the past decade rates of burglary and theft of vehicles have fallen, largely due to design improvements, for example the Secured by Design initiative and developments in car security.
'But it needs to be much more difficult to transfer number plates, and they need unique markings.’
Swedish number plates are made by one manufacturer
Follow the Swedish car registration system
The UK could follow the example of the Swedish car registration system – a ‘single-supplier’ car registration system which demonstrably makes it much harder for criminals to change a car’s ID.
Mike Franklin, strategic head of crime prevention for Northamptonshire Police, told us: 'We need a vehicle registration mark robust enough to facilitate easy compliance and simultaneously make non-compliance extremely difficult.'
Kent Fält has worked extensively with the Swedish ‘single supplier’ registration system for many years, and is now a senior advisor to the industry on motor vehicle registration systems.
He told us: ‘The very fact that there are more than 40,000 plate suppliers in UK leaves the system wide open to misuse of number plates.
'Not all number plate suppliers are honest guys, right? And there is no real tracking system on who, when, what number and to whom a number plate was issued.
'In tracking number plates in the field, many different number fonts and plate designs complicate the use of ANPR [automatic number plate recognition] systems.’
Under the Swedish car registration system there is:
- Only one authorised number plate manufacturer.
- A single number plate design, with variations only relating to type (motorcycle, car, truck) and use (private, professional, diplomat).
- A secure online connection between the Swedish ‘DVLA’, those authorised to order number plates and the manufacturer. This means that a number plate can only be produced on a computer-based order from one of the above mentioned.
- Computer-logged tracking records that can be pursued if need be.
- An automatic cross-check with the car’s Vin.
- Secure ‘direct-to-owner’ postal distribution of number plates with reliable identification on delivery.
