Cloned car and an odd plod reponse
Discussion
Hi all,
I just wondered what the communities' take on this one was. I recently received a PCN from Harrow Council for parking illegally when I have not been anywhere near Harrow, not in the last 10 years anyway. I called my local plod to report possible plate cloning and was asked to first challenge the PCN, then and only then after I had a response from Harrow council could I report it.
Having had the rejection of challenge back (even though the image provided shows that it's clearly not my car as the plate, make and model are right but the derivative / sub-model is clearly off), and I have to write back again with all the evidence of why it's not me.
Now I was in a position to raise the cloning issue with the plod and they dutifully logged it, gave me a reference number and said that they would basically do nothing, but "if you start getting more PCN's / NIPS / etc, then we can look into doing something like putting a localised ANPR marker on the registration plate down in Harrow and the London area"....
Whoa, wait a min. IF I get more problems then you'll put an ANPR marker on the car? Why not do it now?
Is this plod basically saying that it's fine to run around on someone else's plates (probably using their insurance / MOT / Tax as you don't have your own) as long as you don't cause problems by racking them up more than one PCN / NIP / etc?
If this is the case then honestly, mind blown at the apathy shown.
Obviously they have more important things to do than chase up cloned cars getting parking fines, and the owner of the clone car might have innocently bought it stolen and replated.
But what if it's owned by a criminal gang that are running drugs or decide to hold up a minimart at gunpoint resulting in armed response cops crawling all over my house at 2am when they look the plate up on the PNC? Surely that could all be prevented just by putting a simple ANPR marker on the car NOW rather then just IF it becomes a pain in the arse to me later?
I just wondered what the communities' take on this one was. I recently received a PCN from Harrow Council for parking illegally when I have not been anywhere near Harrow, not in the last 10 years anyway. I called my local plod to report possible plate cloning and was asked to first challenge the PCN, then and only then after I had a response from Harrow council could I report it.
Having had the rejection of challenge back (even though the image provided shows that it's clearly not my car as the plate, make and model are right but the derivative / sub-model is clearly off), and I have to write back again with all the evidence of why it's not me.
Now I was in a position to raise the cloning issue with the plod and they dutifully logged it, gave me a reference number and said that they would basically do nothing, but "if you start getting more PCN's / NIPS / etc, then we can look into doing something like putting a localised ANPR marker on the registration plate down in Harrow and the London area"....
Whoa, wait a min. IF I get more problems then you'll put an ANPR marker on the car? Why not do it now?
Is this plod basically saying that it's fine to run around on someone else's plates (probably using their insurance / MOT / Tax as you don't have your own) as long as you don't cause problems by racking them up more than one PCN / NIP / etc?
If this is the case then honestly, mind blown at the apathy shown.
Obviously they have more important things to do than chase up cloned cars getting parking fines, and the owner of the clone car might have innocently bought it stolen and replated.
But what if it's owned by a criminal gang that are running drugs or decide to hold up a minimart at gunpoint resulting in armed response cops crawling all over my house at 2am when they look the plate up on the PNC? Surely that could all be prevented just by putting a simple ANPR marker on the car NOW rather then just IF it becomes a pain in the arse to me later?
V8C said:
Having had the rejection of challenge back (even though the image provided shows that it's clearly not my car as the plate, make and model are right but the derivative / sub-model is clearly off)
SuperNads said:
Are you certain that the plate is cloned and not just a misreading by the ANPR camera?
Over a year old but this article puts it all into perspective! Basically nobody cares.
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-7...
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-7...
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