Overview

• Lawmakers have opened the Vehicle Registration Plate Inquiry to address drivers using cloned or modified plates to evade camera enforcement.
• Police say so‑called ghost plates, often illegal 3D or 4D designs or cloned registrations, cannot be reliably read by ANPR or speed cameras.
• West Midlands Police reported 4,300 offenses in Birmingham over a fortnight during Operation Phantom, underscoring the scale of the issue.
• West Midlands PCC Simon Foster called the move a significant step toward tightening the law and improving road safety.
• West Bromwich MP Sarah Coombes urged tougher penalties for motorists who deliberately thwart detection, citing broader public‑safety risks including undetected criminal movement.