A ground-breaking police operation has revealed the true scale of illegal ‘ghost plate’ use on West Midlands roads, with more than 4,300 instances detected in Birmingham in just two weeks.
Operation Phantom, a joint initiative between West Midlands Police and Redspeed International, has pioneered new camera technology capable of identifying vehicles fitted with illegal number plates specifically designed to evade Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems.
During the first phase of the pilot, Redspeed’s ‘Sentio Ghost’ cameras detected 4,335 ghost plate uses, linked to 2,961 separate vehicles.
These plates, often in illegal 3D or 4D formats, make vehicles virtually ‘invisible’ to existing enforcement tools, enabling dangerous driving and wider criminal activity to go unchecked.
Simon Foster, police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands, hailed the pilot as a major step forward.
He said: “Road safety and tackling crime on our roads is a top priority for me, and ghost plates are a serious criminal enabler.
“By exposing offenders who try to evade the law, we are ensuring they can be brought to justice. The results from Operation Phantom show that with innovation and determination, we can keep our roads safe.”
The initiative is a cornerstone of the commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan 2025–2029, which places road safety and offender accountability at the heart of policing priorities.
Supt Jack Hadley, head of West Midlands Police’s Road Policing Unit, said: “This is a fantastic example of collaboration between police, the PCC, and private industry.
“Tackling ghost plates is vital to reducing crime and preventing our roads from becoming a haven for offenders. The results will have a lasting positive impact.”
As well as detecting offenders, Operation Phantom aims to expose the full scale of ghost plate abuse, identify new countermeasures, and raise public awareness of the risks posed by illegal plates.
Intelligence gathered during the pilot will shape future enforcement strategies, support potential legal changes, and underpin safety campaigns.
Tom Duckham, CEO of Redspeed International, said: “Operation Phantom is a first-of-its-kind project, showing how technology combined with police expertise can combat evolving threats like ghost plates.
“This collaboration is protecting communities by denying criminals the anonymity they seek.”
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