Crackdown on illegal number plates with new government funded roads policing team

New roads policing centre helping to track down offenders faster and disrupt organised crime groups that rely on England's road network.

A new nationwide crackdown on illegal number plates will target drivers who dodge fines and organised crime gangs as the Department for Transport (DfT) funds a new roads policing team.

The National Roads Policing Coordination Centre (NRPCC) will bring together police forces from around England to share intelligence, improve collaboration and make better use of data.

This includes trialling new technology, for example, specialised goggles that can detect number plates where criminals have tried to make them unreadable by cameras.

Illegal number plates are often used for criminal activity to evade speeding, parking or clean air zone penalties and are frequently used for organised crime, including moving illegal goods on the road network.

Vehicles that hide from number plate recognition technology are harder for police to track down when they are stolen or linked to organised crime and other serious offences.

Being able to better detect these illegal number plates will mean police are able to track down criminals quicker and so will not only make the roads safer, but reduce crime on our streets too.

The government is also looking to go even further through its Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade, which aims to save thousands of lives.

The strategy has already consulted on stronger penalties for drivers using illegal number plates, reviewing number plate standards and improving enforcement.

We’re cracking down on illegal number plates with new policing resource and innovative tech.