Redspeed International says the BBC Panorama investigation into illegal ghost plates has underlined the need for enforcement technology that can both identify vehicles attempting to evade ANPR and support action where those vehicles are speeding or otherwise offending.
The BBC One programme, Ghost Plates: Drivers Cheating the Law, broadcast on 28 September, examined how ghost and cloned registrations can leave innocent motorists facing fines and enforcement action for offences they did not commit, while allowing dangerous drivers and organised criminals to avoid detection.
It also highlighted specialist camera technology capable of identifying ghost plates designed to defeat conventional automatic number plate recognition systems, underlining both the scale of the problem and the need to translate detection into effective road-safety enforcement.
Tom Duckham, chief executive of Redspeed International, said: “Panorama has brought important public attention to the growing problem of ghost plates. They are not a minor technical issue or a victimless shortcut: they undermine the ability of police and enforcement authorities to identify vehicles, protect innocent motorists and hold dangerous drivers to account.
“The programme highlighted technology capable of detecting and reading ghost plates that can defeat conventional ANPR. That is an essential step forward. But for road safety, detection cannot be the end of the process. We also need systems capable of supporting enforcement where a vehicle is speeding or committing another offence.
“A driver who has chosen to fit a ghost plate may be doing so precisely because they believe they can evade speed cameras and other forms of accountability. Technology must remove that advantage. The objective should be straightforward: identify the illegal plate, capture robust evidence and ensure unsafe driving cannot be hidden behind it.”
Redspeed says detection must be linked to enforcement capability. Its Home Office Type-Approved Sentio Shield system combines speed-enforcement capability with ghost-plate detection software, helping enforcement authorities identify vehicles attempting to defeat conventional ANPR while supporting evidential action against unsafe speed.
Alongside Sentio Ghost’s capability to detect and flag ghost-plate anomalies and capture evidential images, the company says this provides a joined-up approach linking ANPR, camera enforcement, police intelligence, roadside operations and vehicle data.
The Panorama investigation comes as Redspeed publishes the latest in its thought-leadership series from chief executive Tom Duckham. Titled “Enforcement in the age of evasion: staying ahead of ghost plates and non-compliance”, the article examines how ghost plates, cloned registrations and deliberately obscured number plates undermine deterrence and wider efforts to reduce road casualties.
The company also welcomed the Government’s plan for a National Roads Policing Coordination Centre, which Panorama reported will bring police forces together to share intelligence and trial technologies aimed at tackling illegal number plates, organised crime and drivers attempting to evade penalties.
Redspeed says the centre offers an important opportunity to ensure intelligence about fraudulent plates is converted quickly into targeted, consistent action.
Tom Duckham added: “The Government’s decision to establish the National Roads Policing Coordination Centre is a timely and welcome recognition that illegal number plates, including ghost plates, are a direct threat to the integrity of our road-safety system.
“The NRPCC can help turn technology and intelligence into more consistent action by connecting police intelligence, roadside enforcement, camera systems and vehicle data. It is exactly the kind of agile, collaborative response needed to stay one step ahead, close loopholes quickly and show clearly that accountability still matters.”
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