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There has been an increase in Number Plate thefts in the Tunstall area if you are able please check that you vehicles has Theft-resistant screws.

How can I protect my car from number plate theft?

If you take the time to secure your number plates, thieves are likely to pass over your car for an easier target.

To protect your car from number plate theft, install anti-theft screws (also called safe plate screws, one-way screws or security screws) that can’t be easily removed. Normal number plate screws have heads that are compatible with either a bladed or a Phillips head screwdriver and are very easy to remove. Anti-theft screws, on the other hand, can be installed with a bladed screwdriver but need a special tool to be removed. Because thieves need to get your number plate off before they are noticed and reported by passers-by, this tactic makes stealing your number plate an unattractive option.

Can my number plates be stolen online?

Number plate theft is not limited to physical removal. Number plates can also be virtually stolen, or cloned, by thieves who grab your number plate when they see it listed online for sale, such as from car marketplace websites, and print it on special laminated paper to attach over their own number plates on a similar car.

How to combat ‘cloning’ and other crimes

If you want to buy a set of number plates from a legitimate supplier you’ll have to present the vehicle registration document and prove who you are, so thieves often resort to stealing number plates from a car on the street or in a quiet corner of a car park.

With so much enforcement by CCTV or ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) stolen plates can be used to disguise another car to aid crimes like:Changing the identity of a stolen car so it can be soldRam-raiding or burglaryDriving from petrol stations without payingEvading congestion charges, parking and speeding fines

If the number plates are stolen from your car you should report it to the police straight away – you might start receiving parking fines, speeding fines or worse.

How to protect your platesUse a garage at night if you canPark in busy, well-lit areas if you have to park on the streetConsider using security screws which can be turned easily using a screwdriver to fit them but can’t be undone using normal tools.Consider using theft-resistant number plates which may cost a little more but are designed to resist known attack methods and will break apart if someone tries to remove them by force.

Be a good citizen

If you see another car with a number plate missing or with different plates front and back you can report it on 101, the police non-emergency number.