Number-plate fraud shows how ID cards will fail

With senior police officers calling for the car number plate system to be changed because they no longer trust the DVLA database, campaign group NO2ID said that the National Identity Scheme will fail in the same way.

Supt John Wake of the vehicle Crime Intelligence Service is reported as saying: "The registration plate is the first form of identification of the vehicle to the general public. I don't have confidence that beyond that you can identify that that vehicle is the legitimate vehicle for that plate."

Guy Herbert, General Secretary of NO2ID said: "This is a direct consequence of the 'punishment by numbers' strategy of tracking, taxing and charging motorists based on linking cameras to the registration database. Once you do that, of course crooks will use other people's numbers, and the innocent will be presumed guilty.

"ACPO says the solution is to centralise further. But that's crazy. It would means more costs to the driver and the motor-trade AND relying heavily on the numbers that are issued - no help for those whose cars are cloned.

"But it can be worse. Think what happens if the Home Office gets its way and your whole life, not just your use of a car, is tied to a single number. How many more opportunities will there be for villains to exploit, and for you to get the blame?"