ROAD policing officers across Durham Constabulary are planning to crack down on vehicles sporting illegal registration plates.

A week-long campaign got under way on Monday, January 28, across County Durham and Darlington. Traffic crews are on the lookout for vehicles bearing altered plates which owners have obtained from garages or workshops.

Some get plates made up which adapt numbers and letters to form words; others include gaps between characters which can be closed (an 'I' and a '3' can easily form a 'B'); italics can transform a figure '5' into an 'S' and bolts, inserted at strategic points, can make two 'I's into an 'H'.

Senior officers say that while some owners are just trying to personalise their cars and may be unaware they are contravening the regulations, the practice is also being widely used by criminals.

“We know there are some drivers who are purposely using this tactic in an effort to get round the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology used by ourselves, the DVLA and Revenue & Customs,” said Insp Andrew Huddleston.

“ANPR is a vital policing tool which can keep track of criminals as they travel around. Any attempts to tinker with number plates to produce fabricated registrations will be taken very seriously by all the crime-fighting agencies.”

The week-long campaign is being led by the Association of Chief Police Officers and is supported by all 43 forces in England and Wales.

“Our officers will photograph any offending plates and inform the DVLA. The registration can then be withdrawn from circulation, the offender fined, given a limited amount of time to correct the error or ultimately taken to court,” said Insp Huddleston.

Police are also concerned at the possible effects on investigations into hit-and-run road collisions, as altered plates could potentially be more difficult for witnesses to read or recall.

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