Police have marked concerns about the increase in the volume of number plate thefts.
With more than 20,000 number plates stolen each year in Victoria, fitting theft-resistant screws to your number plates can be a cheap and easy way to help keep them safe from thieves. Another Safe Plate Day has been scheduled for August 31 in the Bunnings car park from 9am to noon to help local residents secure their vehicle number plates.
Three good reasons to fit theft-resistant screws:
– It makes it harder for thieves to steal your plates
Many instances of theft are opportunistic – thieves look for the easy option to target for theft. Fixing your number plates with “one-way screws” can make the job of a thief much harder and might just save your plates from being stolen.
Although these screws can be easily fitted using a regular flat blade screwdriver, their design makes it much more difficult to unscrew them in the other direction. Studies into these special screws show that it could take quite some time to remove the plates. Thieves want to work quickly to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
– Your plates might be used in other crimes
Thieves often steal number plates in order to go on and commit more crime. Opportunistic thieves can swap stolen plates onto other vehicles which can then be used for petrol drive-offs, avoidance of speeding fines or as transport to conduct other crimes including home burglaries.
– Replacing stolen plates can be inconvenient
There are a number of things to consider if your plates have been stolen. As soon as your plates are stolen, it’s important to get in touch with the police as well as VicRoads to report the crime. You will then need to look into changing your registration, insurance and toll account details. There will also be the cost of replacing your plates.
Isn’t it better to do what you can to prevent the plates being stolen in the first place?
