Thousands of 'ghost' plates detected in trial

The number plates make vehicles illegally invisible to speed, bus lane or low-emission zone cameras

More than 4,000 illegal "ghost" number plates were detected in the West Midlands over a two week period, the region's police and crime commissioner (PCC) said.

A reflective coating on the plates ensures they cannot be read by police Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems and their use appears to be increasing in popularity, Police and Crime Commisioner Simon Foster said.

Trialling new technology as part of a pilot scheme, 4,335 "non-compliant plates" were captured in the region over that time.

West Bromwich MP Sarah Coombes has previously called for a crackdown on the invisible plates and said with car racing problems in the region the use of the plates needed to stop.

Fines of up to £1,000 and six-point penalties for drivers were currently available for those who use them.

"I'm really pleased to hear about the pilot and results as we were unsure of the scale of the issue with the plates, so it's really good to have some detailed scale of that," the Labour MP said.

MP for West Bromwich Sarah Coombes said there was "no good reason to have an invisible plate"

"This is a very significant number and we need evidence of this so we can make the penalties harsher and help change the law.

"They're so easy to buy if you look on the internet or Tik Tok where they are glamorised.

"It's a road safety issue and a criminal one - there's no good reason to have an invisible plate where cars just disappear from the system and we have no idea where they go.

"I'm really pleased West Midlands Police has taken the lead on this. We have serious car racing problems in the region, and in particular in West Bromwich, and we need the use of these plates to stop."

The pilot scheme also forms part of a major road safety drive by the PCC which aims to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on West Midlands roads.

What are "ghost" plates:

• "Ghost" plates are vehicle registration plates that are either wholly or partially invisible to camera technology which is reliant on infrared light to read number plates.

• Some ANPR cameras can read registration plates under natural light in good conditions but they all require infrared light to read registration plates in low light or darkness.

• While 3D and 4D raised character plates are legal, some contain reflective material that cannot be picked up by cameras, when standards state that a plate must be distinguishable by camera or other device.

Source: West Midlands Police Crime and Commissioner's (PCC) office

The pilot, called Operation Phantom, was a collaboration between West Midlands Police and Redspeed International using its Sentio Ghost camera technology.

Mr Foster described the plates, which are also invisible to speed, bus lane or low-emission zone cameras, as a "a serious criminal enabler".

"By using cutting-edge technology, we are exposing offenders who think they can evade the law, and ensuring that they can be brought to justice," he said.

"The results from Operation Phantom show that with innovation and determination, we can tackle crime and keep our roads safe."