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| Call for car number plate revamp | Call for car number plate revamp |
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| The number plate system needs to be completely overhauled to beat a rise in "car cloning", police have said. | The number plate system needs to be completely overhauled to beat a rise in "car cloning", police have said. |
| The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) says a record number of vehicles are being cloned to escape motoring fines and commit crimes. | The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) says a record number of vehicles are being cloned to escape motoring fines and commit crimes. |
| More than 40,000 sets of number plates were stolen in 2006, a rise of almost 25%, according to police estimates. | |
| Police blame rules registering plate buyers and suppliers and make fake plates more difficult to get hold of. | |
| No confidence | |
| Acpo's Coventry-based Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service says it now has no confidence in the ability of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) licensing system to prevent cloning. | |
| The service's Supt John Wake told BBC News: "The registration plate is the first form of identification of the vehicle to the general public. | |
| It was horrendous. You are guilty until you can prove you're not Tony BullockCar cloning victim | |
| "I don't have confidence that beyond that you can identify that that vehicle is the legitimate vehicle for that plate." | |
| Acpo wants a central issuing body for the registration numbers, and all cars to have tamper-proof plates fitted. | Acpo wants a central issuing body for the registration numbers, and all cars to have tamper-proof plates fitted. |
| The DVLA is considering forcing all the UK's 1.3 million motorcycles to be fitted with plates featuring electronic tags, which are currently being trialled. | The DVLA is considering forcing all the UK's 1.3 million motorcycles to be fitted with plates featuring electronic tags, which are currently being trialled. |
| The AA's Paul Watters said the amount of cloned number plates was "growing fast". | The AA's Paul Watters said the amount of cloned number plates was "growing fast". |
| "It seems to be on a roll and we need to start taking some action to look at the innocent motorist who may fall victim to some of the issues which follow up the theft of a number plate," he said. | "It seems to be on a roll and we need to start taking some action to look at the innocent motorist who may fall victim to some of the issues which follow up the theft of a number plate," he said. |
| Horrendous | |
| "There are different levels of cloning. There is the simple cloning, just stealing a plate to drive into say the Congestion Charge zone or evade a speed camera. | "There are different levels of cloning. There is the simple cloning, just stealing a plate to drive into say the Congestion Charge zone or evade a speed camera. |
| "It ranges up to a higher level which is the car criminal who wants to sell on a stolen car." | |
| Victim Tony Bullock's car was cloned even though his plates were not physically stolen, and he was threatened with prosecution after "his" car was repeatedly caught speeding in Leicester. | |
| He said: "It was horrendous. You are guilty until you can prove you're not. It's the first time that I've thought that English law is on its head." | |
| Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Glen Smyth said the problem has grown because of the amount of camera-based enforcement of traffic offences, which relies on the details held on who owns which car. |