A car is movable property , which means it must be properly documented.
Like any thing, a car has an owner.
It is with him that the purchase and sale , it is with his initials that the entry is made on the PTS coupon.
In addition to documents, another very important identification mark is the presence of state license plates .
They are entered into the general register of car data and contain information about the region of registration, the owner and the make of the car.
Today, the crime of stealing license plates has become increasingly popular.
Let's figure out why and how to protect yourself and your car.
Concept
Everyone knows what theft is.
And if you don’t know the literal concept of this crime , then you probably have an idea of how this action is performed.
Unfortunately, the crime of theft is very common, and there are hundreds of types of theft.
The theft of license plates is one of the types of theft.
In general, the Criminal Code contains an article called “wrongful taking of a state registration plate,” which summarizes all types of theft of license plates under one concept.
If you need to familiarize yourself with the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the theft of automobile license plates. numbers from the car, open the criminal code to article three hundred and twenty-five.
Stealing is an action .
This crime simply cannot be committed through inaction.
Also, theft is one of the types of theft, along with such types as robbery, robbery , and so on.
The advantage and main difference between theft and other types of crimes involving the appropriation of someone else's property is the method of committing this crime.
Mostly, it is done secretly.
That is, the criminal must be sure that no one sees the actions he performs during the theft.
If we transfer this definition of theft to the situation we are interested in with the theft of car license plates, then this is a kind of act aimed at assigning someone else’s license plates, committed secretly.
Read the full article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Theft.
Administrative punishment for stealing license plates from a car
Before changes were made to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, some drivers could remove state signs with impunity in order to play a joke on their neighbor. But now Art. 19.37 Code of Administrative Offenses will not allow you to evade responsibility - unlawful actions to take possession of numbers without signs of a criminal offense will entail an administrative fine of 2-5 thousand rubles. or administrative arrest for 15 days.
When a government sign is stolen, the theft is not considered theft of personal property, since it belongs to the government and is its property.
Why do they steal state signs?
The purpose of removing license plates may be:
- ransom - the risk of theft is high for drivers who have a beautiful combination of letters and numbers on their license plate. The attackers are sure that the owner will fork out money to buy back the license plate dear to his heart, they will definitely leave contact details for communication;
- committing a crime - the perpetrators of theft may try to divert suspicion from themselves when committing other crimes by using your state license plate. In this case it will not be returned to you;
- collecting license plates;
- retribution for any inconvenience you have caused to other motorists in the past.
Qualifying features
Theft is a complex crime due to the fact that criminal practice has many options for its commission.
Hence, in article three hundred and twenty-five of the Criminal Code, qualifying criteria appeared that lead to an increase in punishment for the committed act.
This is done because the crime committed has aggravating features .
Let's get to know them better.
One of the most common qualifying features in crimes is theft, which was committed not by one person, but by a whole group of people.
Another aggravating feature is the theft of a license plate from a premises - a storage room or a garage.
If the theft of the license plate caused damage, for example, damage to a car or other property, the penalty will also be increased.
All these qualifying signs for the theft of state registration plates are contained in the second and third parts of the article we are considering.
Nuances of action
If you fall for extortionists and they want a certain amount for license plates, then there is no need to panic right away. As practice shows, such thefts occur almost every day, and there are a lot of such cases in the police archives and there are often cases when, even after paying the money, the license plates from the car are never returned. Therefore, you should not rely on the integrity of thieves, because it is quite possible to become a victim of deception.
In the event of a ransom being extorted, the police recommend not to panic and to think about where the thieves could have hidden the numbers. Most likely this could be somewhere near the car. So it’s worth thoroughly searching everything within a radius of 400 meters from the car. This is all because extortionists are unlikely to want to walk around the city with someone else’s license plates; the best thing for him would be to hide them somewhere nearby and then extort money. It is important to take into account where the thief could have run and look for all possible places where signs can be hidden.
Thus, if you lose your license plates, there is no need to panic. It is best to follow the instructions posted above and eventually get your numbers back or get new ones for yourself and protect yourself from liability for the criminal use of stolen numbers.
Distinction from related crimes
A crime such as theft is very easy to confuse with other types of theft.
So, for example, the main sign of the theft is that it was done secretly, that is, people did not see the process itself.
However, many citizens confuse theft with robbery and, when contacting the police, incorrectly classify this crime .
Robbery is also a type of theft.
The significant difference between it and theft is that robbery is not carried out secretly, but sometimes even with the use of violence.
The same applies to robbery .
Theft is never accompanied by violence or the threat of such action against the victim.
What to do if your numbers are stolen?
What to do if government is stolen? license plates if you discover that your license plates have been stolen from your car, or, as people say, removed.
Let's figure it out.
First of all, you shouldn't panic.
Explore the nearby area, the criminals may have dropped the numbers.
If the numbers are still not found, contact the police .
There, report that a theft has occurred.
Describe everything you saw: perhaps the garage was opened, scratches on the car, tools nearby, suspicious parts.
Show documents establishing your rights to this vehicle.
File a theft report under the direction of a police officer.
Give information about the numbers, some individual characteristics (for example, abrasions in a certain place).
Many people mistakenly believe that there is no need .
There are many commercial organizations that will give you new license plates with the old plates on the same day and you will again be able to drive freely on the roads without breaking the law.
But just imagine that the numbers will be put on another car .
All fines recorded by surveillance cameras will be sent to you and you will have big problems.
This is why you should contact the police.
Watch the video with recommendations on what to do if your license plates are stolen:
If one license plate was stolen from a car
One license plate was stolen from a car - what to do if this happened?
There are often situations when, during a theft, criminals get scared of something or, for other reasons, do not have time to rent a second number and run away with one .
Of course, just like in the first case, you can make numbers without reporting to the police, but criminals can do the same and make another number in the likeness of what they have.
Therefore, contact the law enforcement agency with the appropriate statement for your own safety.
Search for stolen numbers
Since in most cases the thief attacks several cars at once, he does not have the opportunity to take a lot of HP with him. According to law enforcement statistics, signs are often hidden in the nearest perimeter.
Therefore, you should definitely check the availability of your rooms within a radius of 150-250 meters.
It is worth inspecting such places as: nearby bushes, pipes, garbage cans, all kinds of gaps and crevices, stairwells. In winter, the search becomes more difficult due to the presence of snowdrifts, but there are still chances of success.
There is a high probability that your numbers are located in these places, so you can attract additional people to search as quickly as possible.
What to do if foreign license plates are stolen?
What to do if your government is stolen? license plates from a foreign car, for example Armenian license plates?
If you are a foreigner and your numbers have been stolen, do not dare to succumb to provocation.
Very often, license plates that have foreign significance are twisted so that a citizen of another state cannot travel outside of Russia, and he would have to pay a ransom.
You shouldn’t do this; you still need to contact the police with all the title documents for the car.
a duplicate number on the same day - otherwise, you may have problems.
When you arrive home, do not delay changing your numbers, or better yet, replacing them completely, because criminals can resell the numbers to colleagues from your country of residence.
Duplicate
Duplicates are not issued by government services. But there are private companies that, for a certain amount of money (about 2,000 rubles), after providing a registration certificate, make a duplicate of the lost number.
In case of loss of the number, mandatory re-registration is not required, and the use of a duplicate does not exceed the boundaries of the law. But there is one drawback to this method: if you are not sure whether the number was stolen or it was simply lost, if you replace it with a duplicate, you may have problems with the police for criminal fraud that you did not commit. A fraudster can use a stolen number, and in the end the person assigned to him (i.e. the victim) will be responsible. To prevent such a situation from arising, you can use the second method, it is more reliable. But replacing with a duplicate has its advantages: high speed of service (from 20 minutes to an hour), low cost, and a minimum package of necessary documents.
To sell a duplicate you will need: a passport or driver's license, notification and registration certificate.
Report to the police about license plate theft
How to write?
A statement to the police is a mandatory document that must be drawn up upon the theft of your license plates.
The first thing you should do is ask for a writing sample.
On A4 paper you must write your passport details, as well as the place where you applied, the number and address of the police station.
Then in the middle of the sheet you write the word “statement”.
Later you begin to describe all the circumstances that led to the theft of numbers.
The information itself about the license plates, about the evidence you found at the crime scene.
The key is to keep your narrative short and clear .
When and where to apply?
You must submit an application to the police department to which you applied, preferably at your place of residence .
This will make it easier for police officers to navigate, find the necessary evidence and trace the route of criminals.
What punishment and responsibility are provided?
Theft of license plates is punishable by a fine of up to one hundred thousand rubles .
Corrective labor for up to three hundred hours and forced labor for the same period are also provided.
Imprisonment for a term of up to one year can only be imposed if the crime contains qualifying characteristics .
What happens to minors?
If we talk about the subject of the crime, then capable citizens , starting from the age of sixteen, bear responsibility.
For a crime burdened with qualifying characteristics, a minor is temporarily placed in a children's correctional colony and serves a sentence of up to six months, or performs correctional labor for up to one hundred and fifty hours .
If the crime is not burdened with qualifying characteristics, the punishment is a fine of up to fifty thousand rubles, which is collected from the parents.
Such children are registered in the police nursery .
Attaching license plates
If license plates have been removed from a car, what should you do? As additional protection, a vandal-proof frame is perfect, which can be found in almost every car store at a price of up to 2,500 rubles. The frame includes two parts - the base and the top panel. The base is attached in 4 places, and not in two places as usual. This frame is very effective for protection; the fastening uses special hidden bolts that can be opened using a special key; they are not easy to tear off by force or open. In addition, the frame will not only be an obstacle for thieves, but also an obstacle to getting lost on bad roads. The driver will have to tighten the bolts occasionally, but not more than once every six months.
