Specialist police squad to use £150 night-vision goggles to identify illegal 'ghost' number plates

A national police squad has been set up to tackle the growing problem of illegal number plates – and they'll be using £150 night-vision goggles, the Daily Mail and This is Money can exclusively reveal.The National Roads Policing Co-ordination Centre (NRPCC) will bring together forces across England to share intelligence, improve collaboration and make better use of the latest technology as part of a coordinated crackdown, the Department for Transport says.The unit will target organised crime gangs using cloned, false and concealed number plates to avoid detection while carrying out criminal activity.But it will also focus on drivers using so-called 'ghost plates' – number plates that have been illegally modified or treated to appear normal to the naked eye but become unreadable or distorted when viewed by the infrared and optical technology used by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems.To identify the illegal plates, NRPCC officers will use night-vision goggles that are intended for wildlife watching.Drivers displaying incorrectly fitted, altered or missing number plates can face fines of up to £1,000. A national police squad has been setup to tackle the growing problem of illegal number plates - and they'll be using these £150 night-vision gogglesIllegal number plates are frequently used by organised crime groups to move stolen goods and evade speeding, parking and clean air zone penalties, according to the Department for Transport.They come in a variety of forms.One of the biggest concerns is cloned plates, which copy the registration number of a legitimate vehicle. These are often used by criminals to commit offences, including stealing fuel from petrol stations, a crime commonly known as 'bilking'.However, ghost plates, which use transparent films or sprays to make registrations difficult for cameras to read, have become an increasing problem amid a surge in online sellers marketing such products.Research published last year by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety suggested that as many as one in 15 vehicles on the road could be displaying ghost plates.To help to detect them, the specialist national police squad will use Nightfox Whisker digital goggles, which have already been trialled in parts of the country.The Nightfox Whisker night-vision goggles cost £150 a pair. The binoculars acts as a digital infrared camera system that captures low-light scenes and displays them onto an internal digital screen The DfT has released images of the new police unit showing an officer holding a pair of the £150 goggles (left). Greater Manchester Police has been using them for over a year The goggles use a built-in 850nm infrared LED torch that projects a beam that allows officers to see in pitch-black conditions up to roughly 270 meters (300 yards) awayJoin the discussionShould police focus more resources on catching drivers with illegal number plates, or are there bigger problems on our roads?What's your view?The night-vision binoculars cost £149.99 and are available on Amazon.The manufacturer says they are designed for 'wildlife watching and professional bat or ecology surveys', though are also used for hunting.The device acts as a digital infrared camera system that captures low-light scenes and displays them onto an internal digital screen.It uses a built-in 850nm infrared LED torch that projects a beam that allows officers to see in pitch-black conditions up to roughly 270 meters (300 yards) away.It cannot be used in daylight. However, it has an 'ambient light mode' so it can be used in twilight, with a sensor processing enough natural light to operate effectively with its infrared emitter turned off.Footage can be recorded in full HD 1080p at 30 frames per second directly onto a microSD card, meaning officers can gather the image and video footage as evidence to use against offenders.Greater Manchester Police has been using the devices since last year. Ghost plates have an invisible film or coating that reflect light to prevent roadside ANRP cameras from reading the registration The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety says that as many as 1 in 15 cars on the road could have ghost plates. You can buy sprays and devices online to evade cameras A listing on Amazon promises to 'block infrared signals and visible flashes emitted by speed cameras'Officers from its sex offender management unit have used the goggles to check if offenders' vehicles have been fitted with ghost plates to evade ANPR cameras to breach bail conditions around travelling to certain locations.The force's tactical vehicle intercept unit has deployed the Nightfox goggles to help locate stolen vehicles and identify cars used by known burglary gangs.The goggles have additionally been used to tackle taxi drivers using ghost plates to avoid ANPR detection at Manchester Airport's drop-off and pick-up car parks in an effort to evade charges, which range from £5 for a five-minute stay to £25 for half an hour.Following the successful trial, Manchester City Council has already purchased 60 pairs of the goggles for roads policing officers and other units at a cost of £8,100. Policing minister Sarah Jones says the technology will help officers track down gangs and offenders using ghost plates more quickly and disrupt organised criminal networks Ministers are considering new legislation to tackle illegal number plates as part of the forthcoming Road Safety StrategyPolicing minister Sarah Jones said: 'Illegal number plates are not a victimless offence.'They are used by criminals to avoid detection, move illegal goods and stay one step ahead of law enforcement.'She added that bringing police forces together and deploying the latest technology would help officers track down offenders more quickly and disrupt organised criminal networks.Ministers are also understood to be considering new legislation to tackle illegal number plates as part of the forthcoming Road Safety Strategy, including tougher penalties for motorists caught using them.Chief Superintendent Marc Clothier, deputy national co-ordinator for the NRPCC, said: 'The police forces involved in our ghost plates operation have demonstrated how effective a targeted, intelligence-led approach can be in tackling offenders, while also educating and supporting drivers to ensure their number plates remain compliant.' 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