Watermark Registration Plates

Vanderbilt

The recent threads on stolen cars and reg plate cloning has me wondering...

Why isn't there a system in place where the distribution of registration plates is centrally controlled (i.e. Motor Tax Office or NCT centres) and includes in their manufacture some form of forgery proofing such as a watermark (i.e. Passport/Currency Notes) which can be scanned/picked by the Gards ANPR/Toll Cameras etc...

If stolen cars, fitted with cloned plates, are being used in serious crime, surely a simple form of red tape like this would reduce these incidences.....

Leonard Hofstadter

Because this makes sense, expect it not to happen!

bijapos

captainspeed wrote: »

Because this makes sense, expect it not to happen!

^ This.

I said a long time ago that we should introduce the Swedish and German system of putting NCT and Tax stickers on the plates, not on the windscreen. Would tidy up a lot of crap that goes on here as well as catching those evading tax.

Atlantic Dawn

You would have to replace about 6 million existing plates first. I suppose it could be implemented over the next 4 years where it has to be changed at NCT/first NCT and on all new cars sold. It would be far better to fit ANPR to every Garda car and setup an ANPR network on all motorways and around major cities.

Big Nasty

How about you must provide ID and VLC in order to order plates?

CiniO

MCMLXXV wrote: »

How about you must provide ID and VLC in order to order plates?

Provide to who?

Big Nasty

CiniO wrote: »

Provide to who?

Plate pressers

CiniO

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Plate pressers

At the moment it's pretty much any motor factors shop, so anyone who works there has access to it.
For someone who would really want to get a plates without any paperwork, it would be absolutely no problem. Extra 50 quid for Paddy who works there, and plates sorted.

Big Nasty

CiniO wrote: »

At the moment it's pretty much any motor factors shop, so anyone who works there has access to it.
For someone who would really want to get a plates without any paperwork, it would be absolutely no problem. Extra 50 quid for Paddy who works there, and plates sorted.

True but that would have to be regulated somehow.

bijapos

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

You would have to replace about 6 million existing plates first. I suppose it could be implemented over the next 4 years where it has to be changed at NCT/first NCT and on all new cars sold. It would be far better to fit ANPR to every Garda car and setup an ANPR network on all motorways and around major cities.

In the meantime just issue the tax and NCT discs as stickers for the car plates, it makes them harder to forge. Long term you could introduce more secure plates but this will be difficult as the script and format has changed several times over the years. Worth looking into all the same.

Vanderbilt

My point is about establishing authenticity of any plate fitted to a car.

As such, how to prevent cloning of plates.

What you want is for the technology/cameras to be able to identify such instances - and a watermarking system linked to ANPR etc could possibly achieve this.

CiniO

Vanderbilt wrote: »

My point is about establishing authenticity of any plate fitted to a car.

As such, how to prevent cloning of plates.

Its somewhat irrelevant how someone obtains a physical plate, legitimately or otherwise. Having said that it would still make sense to have it centrally controlled/distributed.

What you want is for the technology/cameras to be able to identify such instances - and a watermarking system linked to ANPR etc could possibly achieve this.

The only thing is then "plate cloning" would be changed into "stealing the plates" thing.

Vanderbilt

CiniO wrote: »

The only thing is then "plate cloning" would be changed into "stealing the plates" thing.

Yep thats exactly the result you want.

So when this happens, I notice it missing the following morning and call the Gards and they put an alert on it on their ANPR.

Assume it would work in a similar way as it does at Ports when you have your passport scanned by machine.....

CiniO

Vanderbilt wrote: »

Yep thats exactly the result you want.

So when this happens, I notice it missing the following morning and call the Gards and they put an alert on it on their ANPR.

Assume it would work in a similar way as it does at Ports when you have your passport scanned by machine.....

Heh but when you notice it following morning and call the guards, they would inform you that your plates were already used overnight for stealing petrol or bank robbery, etc...

Leonard Hofstadter

I suppose the point really is that while you will never be able to fully stamp this kind of thing out, we can at least make it an awful lot more difficult for people to clone plates properly.

A watermark is the first step in doing this.

I would also like to see a standarised font for all registration plates, preferably the one used in Germany. Putting the NCT and tax stickers on this as well like the Germans do would be a very good idea, not least because it would free up some space on the windscreen of a car, which would improve safety since you'd have more visibility!

CiniO

captainspeed wrote: »

I suppose the point really is that while you will never be able to fully stamp this kind of thing out, we can at least make it an awful lot more difficult for people to clone plates properly.

A watermark is the first step in doing this.

I would also like to see a standarised font for all registration plates, preferably the one used in Germany. Putting the NCT and tax stickers on this as well like the Germans do would be a very good idea, not least because it would free up some space on the windscreen of a car, which would improve safety since you'd have more visibility!

While I agree with freeing up some space on windscreen, but copying Germans won't give us anything good. My grandfather used to say "never trust Germans"...

Guy:Incognito

bijapos wrote: »

In the meantime just issue the tax and NCT discs as stickers for the car plates, it makes them harder to forge. Long term you could introduce more secure plates but this will be difficult as the script and format has changed several times over the years. Worth looking into all the same.

How is it harder to forge a little round sticker than the current discs?

If anything it would make it easier. How often will anyone be getting down on their hand sand knees to closely inspec the stickers?

jrar

captainspeed wrote: »

I suppose the point really is that while you will never be able to fully stamp this kind of thing out, we can at least make it an awful lot more difficult for people to clone plates properly.

A watermark is the first step in doing this.

I would also like to see a standarised font for all registration plates, preferably the one used in Germany. Putting the NCT and tax stickers on this as well like the Germans do would be a very good idea, not least because it would free up some space on the windscreen of a car, which would improve safety since you'd have more visibility!

There IS a standard for plates in terms of character sizing/spacing but like all things in this country, the punters ignore it and the Gardai turn a blind eye to it (if you doubt that, take a look at the multiple variety of plates "styles" on cars here including a growing number of German-style plates which I've yet to hear of a Garda challenging)

Then when the authorities instruct the NCT guys to fail people for having the wrong style plates, everyone's up in arms calling it overkill.

In motoring/driving terms, when we all grow up here in Ireland and decide we want to live in a regulated driving environment which benefits all users as per most other developed nations, as distinct from a "wild-west, cute hoor, getting-one-over-on-the-authorities" approach that we currently have collectively, then doing things like issuing cherished plates would be possible.