Number plate thieves
Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 5:38 pmPOLICE have put number plate thieves on notice, launching an operation to target the crime after more than 10,000 plates were reported stolen in the past financial year.
Police say number plate theft is often the gateway to more serious crime, with lifted plates known to be used in burglaries, drug trafficking and petrol drive-offs.
Brimbank, Geelong, Casey, Hume, Greater Dandenong, Darebin, Moreland, Frankston, Wyndham and Whittlesea recorded the highest number of plate thefts in 2011-12.
These areas accounted for more than half the reported stolen plates in Victoria.
Police and the automotive industry will today launch Operation SAFEPL8, asking for community help to tackle number plate theft.
Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp said it was a preventable crime that took officers off the street and away from their patrol duties.
Mr Crisp urged motorists to fit one-way screws on their plates and, where possible, park off street and in well-lit areas.
"Any extra time required by a thief to remove number plates, as well as an increased likelihood of attracting attention, greatly reduces the risk of a number plate being stolen," he said.
The three-month operation will also see local police increase patrols in theft hot spots, as well as conducting random mobile registration and automated number plate recognition operations to identify stolen plates.
Operation SAFEPL8 a joint initiative between the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce, the RACV, Crime Stoppers and Neighbourhood Watch.
Anyone with information about number plate theft should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
http://www.news.com.au/national/victori ... 6744228866
Police say number plate theft is often the gateway to more serious crime, with lifted plates known to be used in burglaries, drug trafficking and petrol drive-offs.
Brimbank, Geelong, Casey, Hume, Greater Dandenong, Darebin, Moreland, Frankston, Wyndham and Whittlesea recorded the highest number of plate thefts in 2011-12.
These areas accounted for more than half the reported stolen plates in Victoria.
Police and the automotive industry will today launch Operation SAFEPL8, asking for community help to tackle number plate theft.
Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp said it was a preventable crime that took officers off the street and away from their patrol duties.
Mr Crisp urged motorists to fit one-way screws on their plates and, where possible, park off street and in well-lit areas.
"Any extra time required by a thief to remove number plates, as well as an increased likelihood of attracting attention, greatly reduces the risk of a number plate being stolen," he said.
The three-month operation will also see local police increase patrols in theft hot spots, as well as conducting random mobile registration and automated number plate recognition operations to identify stolen plates.
Operation SAFEPL8 a joint initiative between the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce, the RACV, Crime Stoppers and Neighbourhood Watch.
Anyone with information about number plate theft should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
http://www.news.com.au/national/victori ... 6744228866