Number Plate Theft -  A Real Problem For Police and Victims!

In 2007 40,000 number plates were stolen nationally in the UK highlighted by Thames Valley Police.  Number plate crime has been on the up with contributing factors been higher petrol prices and poor economic state through recession.

Theft of vehicle number plates is a rapidly growing crime within the UK and also on a global scale, with figures suggesting a car number plate is stolen every 15 minutes in the UK alone.  Number plate theft has rocketed in recent years, with the criminal objective of cloning someone else’s car.  The criminal’s intentions of cloning another car are to ‘drive off’ from petrol stations without paying, avoiding congestion charges, avoiding speeding, illegal parking, and robberies (get away).

The problem for stolen Number Plate victims is a very serious one.  In the eyes of the law the number plate is registered to the victim, hence the victim must prove that they have not committed the offence(s) accused of them.  Therefore to avoid fines and stress of trying to prove your innocence simply change the existing number plate screws to Number Plate Security Screws (No.8 x ¾ Clutch Head Security Screws – A2 Stainless Steel).

The number plate security screws we supply are a one way permanent fixing, meaning once the screws are secured they cannot be removed without ‘drilling them out’ or ripping the number plate of, which renders the plate useless.
Number plate security screws are installed by simply using a standard flat blade screwdriver.  With the unique design of the number plate security screw the screwdriver will ‘slip off’ if you try to remove it as the drive has a unique curved gradient to it.

Fastenright Ltd have already supplied many police forces (listed below) with the number plate security screws, from which the police forces have already conducted campaigns and are planning new campaigns offering free number plate security screws and fitting to the public, in an effort to combat the increasing battle against number plate theft and car cloning. 

Please contact any of the police forces we have supplied (listed below) for information on how to protect your vehicle.

The Clutch Head number plate security screws we supply are used as a direct replacement for existing standard screws, with the coloured cover caps also available. (Please Note: We do not supply to the general public).

Police Constabularies We Have Supplied:

Bedfordshire Police, Bootle Police, Corby Police, Dubai Police, Merseyside Police and Newport Police.

Related News:

Merseyside Police November 2010 – Officers at Eaton Road Police Station are working in target areas fitting the number plate security screws free of charge.

Thames Valley Police October 2010 - Thames Valley Crimestoppers campaign launched to raise awareness of number plate theft, implications to victims and preventative action including number plate security screws.

Cheshire Police June 2010 - Cheshire Constabulary officers offered free fitting of number plate security screws to resident of the West Cheshire area.

Bedfordshire Police February 2010 – Police Community Support Officers fitting free number plate security screws in Dunstable as part of the (CAPS) Car Accessory Protection Scheme.

Surrey Police – May 2008 – Police in Elmbridge to reduce vehicle crime by giving away number plate security screws (clutch head security screws).

Harrow Police - The Mayor of Harrow John Nickolay has number plate security screws fitted to the number plates of his limousine. 

Lichfield Police station – Issuing free number plate security (check for availability)

The Hertsmere Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership – Safeplates event ran in March 2010 to issue the public with free number plate security screws.  Keep checking for similar current events.

Australian police promote number plate security screws – As early as August 2006 Victoria police had a crackdown on number plate theft by introducing number plate security screws.

BBC News – In April 2008 the BBC reported police officers in Surrey distributing free of charge number plate security screw to fight against number plate crime.

Number Plate Security Screws – Can aid in reducing car insurance with HPI statistics suggesting in 2007-08 the Mercedes C Class, the Ford Transit van and the Audi A4 were the most targeted vehicles for number plate crime.